


Secrets Divide

by Woods2006gal



Series: Addison Sloan series [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-10
Updated: 2013-02-10
Packaged: 2017-11-28 19:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 89,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/678168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woods2006gal/pseuds/Woods2006gal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Continuation of my Addison Sloan series. The trio deals with Dean being back from Hell and the consequences, while Addison and Sam deal with what happened between them while maintaining their secrecy filled relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lazarus Rising

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Addison watches as the curl bounces before settling amongst the other curls. It had been years since she had used her curling iron. Normally, it sat at the bottom of her duffle bag next to the small cosmetic bag filled with makeup other than black eyeliner, foundation, and powder. A hand lightly touches her back and she looks up. “I wanted to do something different,” Addison softly explains.

“I like it,” Sam tells her with a smile. She didn’t know if it was a fake or not. They had gotten used to putting on fake smiles, pretending that they were okay when they weren’t. She still missed Dean terribly and the pain of his death had barely lessen over the past four months.

Someone knocks on the motel room door. Sam glances at the motel door. “I ordered some pizza. Extra cheese and Canadian bacon.”

Addison smiles. “You know what would make—”

“I picked up a bottle of wine earlier.” Sam presses a kiss to her cheek, then walks out of the bathroom. Addison slowly wraps some more hair around the curling iron. She had chopped most of her hair off, to where it just fell below her ears. It had been years since she had cut her hair that short.

Addison hears sounds of a struggle and steps out of the bathroom. Sam had a man pressed against the wall, with a silver knife to the man’s throat. A man who looked exactly like Dean. She barely noticed Bobby standing in the doorway. “Who are you,” Sam demands.

“Like you didn’t do this,” the man counters. His voice sounded exactly like Dean’s. Her gaze roams over him. The image of Dean lying on the floor, with his chest and stomach ripped open was at the front of her mind.

Sam presses the knife harder against the man’s neck. “Do what?”

Bobby steps forward and pushes Sam away from dean. “It’s him. It’s him, Sam. I’ve been through this already, it’s really him.”

Sam stares at his big brother with disbelief written on his face. “But…”

“I know, I look fantastic, huh,” Dean comments. Sam tightly embraces him with tears in his eyes. Addison glances at Bobby, who was watching the exchange with tears in his eyes. They break apart and Dean finally notices Addison standing near the bathroom. “Ads…”

She rolls her eyes and walks over to him. Addison blinks back the tears as she hugs him. Dean firmly holds her. “I missed you,” she softly says. He presses a soft kiss to the side of her head and she closes her eyes. 

Dean pulls back and she softly smiles at him. “So, tell me, what’d it cost,” he asks, turning to his younger brother.

“Pizza hasn’t gotten here yet, Dean,” Sam amusingly answers, closing the motel door. He ignores the dark haired young woman at the end of the hallway, with a confused look on her face.

“That’s not funny, Sam. To bring me back. What’d it cost? Was it just your soul or was it something worse?”

“You think I made a deal?”

“That’s exactly what we think,” Bobby answers and Sam rolls his eyes.

“Well, I didn’t.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Dean coldly says.

“He’s not lying,” Addison says, moving to stand net to Sam.

“So what now, I’m off the hook and you’re on, is that it? You’re some demon’s bitch boy? I didn’t want to be saved like this.”

A frustrated look crosses Sam’s face. “Look, Dean, I wish I had done it, all right?”

“There’s no other way that this could have gone down. Now tell the truth!”

“I tried everything. That’s the truth. I tried opening the Devil’s Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right? You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn’t stop it. So, I’m sorry it wasn’t me, all right? Dean, I’m sorry,” Sam tells him.

Dean nods. “It’s okay, Sammy. You don’t have apologize, I believe you.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m gladdened that Sam’s soul remains intact, but it does raise a sticky question,” Bobby says.

“If we didn’t bring Dean back, then what did,” Addison asks and Bobby nods. Sam gets up, moving over to a small refrigerator and grabs four beer bottles from it. He hands beers to each of them, then sits back down on the bed. Addison sets her bottle on the coffee table, not drinking from it.

“So, what were two doing around here if you weren’t digging me out of my grave,” Dean asks, looking between his brother and best friend.

“Well, once I figured out that we couldn’t save you, we started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback,” Sam explains.

“All by yourself. Who do you think you are, your old man,” Bobby asks him.

“Uh, yeah, I’m sorry, Bobby. We should have called. We were pretty messed up.”

Dean stands up. He reaches between the nightstand and the couch to pull out a black lace bra. “Oh, yeah, I really feel your pain.”

Addison rolls her eyes and snatches the bra out of his grasp. “Anyways, uh, we were checking these demons down in Tennessee and out of nowhere they took a hard left, booked up here,” Sam continues.

“When,” Dean asks.

“Yesterday morning,” Addison replies.

“When I busted out.”

“You think the demons came up here because of you,” Addison asks, causing Dean and Bobby to stare at her.

“But why,” Sam replies, moving the discussion along.

“Well, I don’t know — some badass demon drags me out and now this? It’s gotta be connected somehow,” Dean replies.

“How you feeling anyway,” Bobby asks him.

Dean shrugs. “I’m a little hungry.”

“No, I mean, do you feel like yourself? Anything strange or different?”

“Or demonic? Bobby, how many times do I have to prove I’m me?”

“Yeah. Well, listen. No demon’s letting you loose out of the goodness of their hearts. They’ve gotta have something nasty planned.”

“Well, I feel fine.”

“We have no idea what they’re planning. We need some help,” Addison comments, stopping an argument from breaking out.

“I know a psychic. A few hours from here. Something this big, maybe she’s heard the other side talking,” Bobby replies, standing up.

“Hell yeah, it’s worth a shot,” Dean says.

Bobby nods. “I’ll be right back,” he tells them, then walks out of the motel room. Dean goes to follow him, but Addison grabs his arm.

Addison takes off the amulet that Dean always wore and puts it on him. She pats his chest, right over his heart. “There. It’s back where it belongs. Like you,” she softly says. 

“Hey, Dean what was it like,” Sam questions and Addison sends him a disapproving look.

“What, Hell? I don’t know. I - I - I - I must have blacked it out. I don’t remember a damn thing,” Dean replies.

“Thank God for that.”

“Yeah,” Dean agrees and nods towards the bathroom. “You go ahead and head down. I’ll catch up in a minute.”

Dean walks into the bathroom and closes the door behind him. Addison hits Sam on the arm. “What was that for,” Sam asks.

“You don’t ask questions like that, Sam,” Addison quietly replies. She takes a deep breath. “Do you think we should tell him? I mean, he’s gonna figure it out eventually.”

“No. We won’t tell him about anything. At least not now.”

Addison shakes her head. “Guess you gotta start being more creative.”

* * *

The four of them head over to the motel parking. “She’s about four hours down the interstate, trying to keep up,” Bobby says, getting into his own car.

Sam tosses Dean the keys to the Impala. “I assume you’ll wanna drive.”

“Oh - oh - oh, I almost forgot,” Dean replies. Addison rolls her eyes as Dean runs a hand over the back of the Impala. “Hey, sweetheart, you miss me?”

“It’s a car. I bet it didn’t even notice,” Addison answers.

Dean glares at her, then gets in the driver’s seat. Addison and Sam follow, getting in their respective seats. Dean stares at the iPod jack. “What the hell is that?”

“That’s an iPod jack,” Sam answers.

“You were supposed to take care of her, not douche her up.”

“Dean, I thought it was my car.”

Addison leans forward. “You should know that he also took your car to a mechanic. He let a complete stranger get all up in the engine.”

Dean stares at Sam with an ice cold look. “I didn’t have time to change the oil myself,” Sam defends.

Dean starts his beloved car. “Quit playin’ games with my heart,” blares from the speakers. “Before you tear us apart.” He grabs the iPod and tosses it at Addison, who just rolls her eyes.

* * *

Dean glances in the rearview mirror to see Addison curled up in the backseat. She was using his leather jacket as a pillow while Sam’s jacket was draped over her. “There’s still one thing that’s bothering me,” Dean starts.

“Yeah,” Sam asks.

“Yeah, the night that I bit it or got it. How’d you make it out? I thought Lilith was gonna kill you.”

“Well, she tried, she couldn’t.”

“What do you mean she couldn’t?”

“She fired this, like, burning light at me, and…it didn’t leave a scratch, like I was immune or something.”

“Immune?”

“Yeah, I don’t know who was more surprised her or me. She left pretty fast after that.”

“Huh. What about Ruby, where is she?”

“Dead or in Hell.”

“So, you been using your, uh, freaking E.S.P. stuff?”

“No—”

“You sure about that? Ah, well, I mean, now that you’ve got immunity, whatever the hell that is. I’m just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you got going on.”

“Nothing, Dean. Look, you didn’t want me to go down that road, so I didn’t go down that road, it was practically your dying wish.”

“Yeah, well, let’s keep it that way,” Dean says and a tense silence falls over them. He clears his throat and takes a deep breath. “What about Addison? How she’d make it out?”

“Lilith was more focused on me. Ads didn’t even have a scratch on her. By the way, that was a pretty dick thing you to her.” Dean shoots him a confused look. “Yeah, she told me what happened before you died.”

Dean glances at Addison. “She did, huh.”

“Yeah. Dick move, Dean.”

* * *

The four of them walk up the steps of a house in the suburbs and Bobby knocks on the door. A woman in her late thirties opens the door and gives them a bright smile. “Bobby,” the woman greets and pulls Bobby into a tight hug. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.” The woman looks at them and she gives a cautious smile. “So, these them?”

“Sam, Dean, Addison. This is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state,” Bobby tells them.

“Hey,” Dean greets. Addison shares an amused look with Sam.

“Mmm-mmm-mmm. Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual,” Pamela comments and Dean shrugs.

“If you say so.”

“Come on in.” Pamela opens the door wider and they walk into the house.

“So, you hear anything,” Bobby asks Pamela, who closes the door behind him.

“Well, I Quija’d my way through a dozen spirits. No one seems to know who broke your boy out or why,” Pamela explains.

“So what’s next?”

“A seance, I think. See if we can see who did the deed.”

A cautious look appears on Bobby’s face. “You’re not gonna summon the damn thing here.”

“No. I just want to sneak a peek at it. Like a crystal ball without the crystal.”

“I’m game,” Dean comments and Addison holds in the sigh.

* * *

Addison is sitting in between Dean and Sam at the table covered in a black doth and candles. “Right. Take each other’s hands,” Pamela tells them and Addison grabs Dean’s and Sam’s hands, trying to ignoring the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. “And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched.”

Pamela’s hand slides up Dean’s thigh and he squeezes Addison’s hand. “Whoa. Well, he didn’t touch me there.”

“My mistake.” They watch as Dean takes off the outer shirt he was wearing and pulls up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal a handprint scared on his shoulder. Pamela places her hand on the handprint and nods. “Okay.” Everyone closes their eyes and Addison takes a deep breath. “I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command…Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don’t scare easy.”

“Castiel,” Dean repeats. The TV turns on with static appearing on the screen.

“Its name. It’s whispering to me, warning me to turn back. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face.”

The noise from the TV and the table that had started to shake grow worse and Addison opens her eyes. “I think that we should stop now,” Addison says and Pamela shakes her head.

“I almost got it. I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now,” Pamela demands and the candles in the middle of the table flare up. Pamela starts to scream and her eyes shoot open with a white fire. Everything goes back to normal and Pamela collapses, Bobby quickly catching her.

“Call 911,” Bobby tells them and Sam releases Addison’s hand before running out of the room. Addison lets go of Dean’s hand and she looks over his shoulder to see empty holes where Pamela’s eyes used to be.

* * *

“So, you and Sam are fuck buddies,” Dean asks. Addison shoots him a curious look as they walk down the street towards a small diner. It was the first time they had been alone together since he came back. “Why else would your bra be where it was? Other than the fact that your a slob.”

“I’m not a slob,” Addison weakly argues. She shakes her head. “For the record, I’m not sleeping with Sam.”

Dean nods, unconvinced. “And you told him about…”

“I was drunk.” She sighs. “Look, Dean, about what happened—”

“Hey, we both know that the only reason that it happened is because we thought it was gonna be the last time.”

Addison nods as they enter the diner. She tries to ignore the pit in her stomach. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. So, we’ll just put it in the box labelled things to never mention.”

They sit down at a table, facing each other. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Addison gives him a soft smile as the waitress walks over. “For the record, I am happy that you’re back.”

“What can I get you,” the waitress asks.

“Couple of slices of pie,” Dean orders.

“Be up in a jig,” the waitress replies and walks away.

“Yeah, you bet,” Sam says, walking into the diner and over to them, taking a seat next to Addison.

“What’d Bobby say,” Dean asks.

“Pam’s stable and out of ICU,” Sam replies.

“And blind because of us.”

“And we still have no clue who we’re dealing with.”

Dean shakes his head. “That’s not entirely true.”

“What do you mean,” Addison questions.

“We got a name. Castiel or whatever. With the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us.”

“No way.”

“We’ll work him over. I mean, after what he did?”

“Pamela has no eyes and you want to go mono a mono with this guy? I, for one, happen to like being able to see with my eyes.”

“You got a better idea?”

“Hell no, it’s the best idea I’ve ever heard,” Addison sarcastically remarks.

“Me and Addison followed some demons to town, right,” Sam says before Dean has a chance to respond.

“Yeah,” Dean says.

“So, we go find them. Someone’s gotta know something about something,” Sam explains as the waitress sets two plates of pie on the table. “Thanks.”

The waitress pulls a chair over to the table and sits down. “You angling for a tip,” Dean asks the waitress.

“I’m sorry. Thought you were looking for us,” the waitress replies and her eyes go black. The cook and a man wearing a uniform reveal that they’re also demons. The man wearing the uniform goes to the main door and locks it, before standing in front of it. “Dean. To Hell and back. Aren’t you a lucky duck?”

“That’s me.”

“So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh? Tell me. What makes you so special?”

“I like to think it’s because of my perky nipple. I don’t know. Wasn’t my doing, I don’t know who pulled me out.”

“Right. You don’t.”

“No. I don’t.”

“Lying is a sin, you know.”

“I’m not lying. But I’d like to find out, so if you wouldn’t mind enlightening me, Flo—”

“Mind your tone with me, boy. I’ll drag you back to Hell myself.”

“No, you won’t.”

“No?”

“No. Because if you were, you would have done it already. Fact is, you don’t know who cut me loose. And you’re just as spooked as we are. And you’re looking for answers. Well, maybe it was some turbo-charge spirit. Or, uh, Godzilla. Or some big bad boss demon. I’m guess at your pay grade that they don’t tell you squat. Because whoever it was, they want me out. And they’re a lot stronger than you. So go ahead. Send me back. But don’t come crawling to me when they show up on your front doorstep with some Vaseline and a fire hose.”

“I’m going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs,” the waitress replies and Dean slaps the demon twice, who just takes it with a nervous look on it’s face.

“That’s what I thought. Let’s go,” Dean tells them and the boys stand up from the table. Sam pulls Addison out of her chair and moves towards the door, watching as Dean tosses some money on the table. They exit the diner and quickly make their way across the street. “Holy shit, that was close.”

“We’re not just going to leave them in there, are we, Dean,” Sam asks.

“Well, yeah, there’s three of them, probably more, and we’ve only got one knife between the three of us.”

“I’ve been killing a lot more demons than that lately.”

“Not anymore — the smarter brother’s back in town.”

“We’ve got to take ‘em. They are dangerous.”

“They’re scared. Okay? Scared of whatever had the juice to yank me out. We’re dealing with a bad mother fucker here. One job at a time.”

* * *

 

Addison lets out a soft sigh and rolls onto her side, burying her face in the pillow. The couch bed had been pulled out for Dean. They had fallen asleep while researching whatever had pulled him out of Hell. The TV turns on, static filling the screen, and Addison lets out a tired groan. “Dean, turn the TV off,” she tiredly says.

“I didn’t turn it on,” Dean replies as the clock radio turns on. He stands up, grabbing the shotgun off the nightstand. He pulls Addison up, causing her to stare at him. “Same thing happened at the gas station after I came back.”

Addison starts to ask something but a loud, screeching noise erupts through the room. She covers her ears, trying to block out the noise, but it just gets louder. The mirror above the bed she had been lying on breaks. Dean pushes her onto the floor, covering her as glass from the windows and mirrors breaks. The door opens after the noise stops to reveal Bobby standing there with a concerned look on his face. “Dean! Addison!”

* * *

Addison is sitting in the backseat of Bobby’s car, with him driving and Dean sitting in the passenger seat, wiping blood off of her arms. “How you two doing,” Bobby asks them.

“Aside from the church bells ringing in my head, peachy,” Dean replies, pulling out his phone.

“I’m fine,” Addison answers.

“What are you doing,” Dean asks, who Addison is assuming Sam. “In my car? Well, uh, Bobby’s back. We’re going to grab a beer. Yeah, she’s with us. Done. Catch you later.”

“Why the hell didn’t you tell him,” Bobby asks Dean.

“Because he just tried to stop us.”

“Stop us from what,” Addison cautiously asks.

“Summoning this thing. It’s time we faced it head on.”

“Dean, that’s insane.”

“Then give me a straight jacket. It’s high noon, baby.”

“We don’t know what it is. It could be a demon, it could be anything,” Bobby counters and Addison nods in agreement.

“That’s why we’ve got to be ready for anything.” Dean pulls out the knife they had stolen from Ruby four months ago. “We’ve got the big time magic knife, you’ve got an arsenal in the trunk—”

“Dean, this is a really bad idea,” Addison interrupts.

“Yeah, I couldn’t agree more, but what other choice do we have?”

“Uh, we should choose to see tomorrow for one.”

“Ads, whatever this is, whatever it wants, it’s after me. That much we know, right? I’ve got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again or we can make our stand.”

“Dean, we could use Sam on this,” Bobby tells him.

“Nah, he’s better off where he is,” Dean replies and a silence fills the car.

* * *

Addison is sitting on a table watching as Bobby paints a symbol on the floor. Dean was behind her setting up the weapons they had taken out of Bobby’s trunk, cautiously. “That’s a hell of an art project you’ve got going there,” Dean comments.

“Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe. How you doing,” Bobby replies.

“Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife. I mean, we’re pretty much set to catch and kill anything I’ve ever heard of.”

“I still think this is a bad idea,” Addison tells Dean and he looks at her.

“Yeah, Addison, I heard you the first fifty times,” Dean says and she shrugs as he turns to Bobby.

“What do you say we ring the dinner bell?” Bobby reluctantly nods and walks over to the table across from them and starts the ritual that would summon whatever brought Dean back.

* * *

“You sure you did the ritual right,” Dean asks after they had been sitting around the warehouse with nothing happening and Addison keeps in the laugh Bobby glares at Dean. “Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?” Suddenly, a loud rattling shakes the roof and they hop down from where they had been sitting on the tables, each grabbing a shotgun as they go to the other end of the warehouse.

The door bursts open and a dark haired man wearing a suit and trench coat walks into the warehouse. The lights on the ceiling shatter, as the man gets closer to them and they open fire on the man. Dean grabs the demon killing knife as the man gets closer to him. “Who are you,” Dean demands.

“I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition,” the man answers.

“Yeah. Thanks for that.” Dean shoves the knife in the man’s chest. The man just pulls it out, dropping it to the ground. Bobby attacks the man from behind and the man grabs Bobby’s weapons before anything can happen. He touches the older hunter on the forehead and she watches as Bobby falls to the ground. Addison drops the shotgun she was holding as the man nears her. He touches her forehead and she collapses to the ground, unconscious.

“We need to talk. Alone.” Dean kneels down and checks Addison for a pulse. “Your friends are alive.”

“Who are you?”

“Castiel.”

“Yeah, I figured that much. I mean, what are you?”

“I’m an Angel of the Lord.”

“Get the hell out of here. There’s no such thing.”

“This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith,” Castiel replies and lightening flashes through out the room, causing Dean to see a pair of shadowy wings appear. The light goes out and he can no longer see the wings.

“Some angel you are. You burned out that poor woman’s eyes.”

“I warmed her not to spy on my true form. It can be…overwhelming to humans and so can my real voice. But you already knew that.”

“You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking,” Dean disbelievingly asks and Castiel nods. “Buddy, next time, lower the volume.”

“That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong.”

“And what visage are you in now, huh? What, holy tax accountant?”

“This? This is…a vessel.”

“You’re possessing some poor bastard.”

“He’s a devout man, he actually prayed for this.”

“Well, I’m not being what you’re selling, so who are you really?”

“I told you.”

“Right. And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?”

“Good things do happen, Dean.”

“Not in my experience.”

“What’s the matter? You don’t think you deserve to be saved? Addison thought you deserved to be saved.”

Dean casts a glance at Addison and looks back at Castiel. “Why’d you do it?”

“Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you,” Castiel answers and Dean frowns.


	2. Are You There God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, but I own the original characters.

Addison is sitting at the small kitchen table in Bobby’s house, eating a salad as Sam, who was sitting across from her, and Dean, who was pacing around the kitchen, argue. “Well, then tell me, what else it could have been,” Sam asks his brother.

“Look, all I know is that I was not groped by an angel,” Dean counters and Addison lets out a sigh.

“An angel isn’t going to lie, Dean,” Addison comments and Dean looks at her.

“The maybe he’s some kind of demon. Demons lie.”

“A demon who isn’t affected by salt rounds, devil’s traps, or Ruby’s knife?”

“Lilith is scared of that thing,” Sam tells them.

“Don’t you think that if angels were real that some hunter, somewhere, would have seen one? At some point, ever!”

“Yeah. You just did, Dean.”

“I’m trying to come up with a theory here, okay, work with me.”

“We already have a theory,” Addison counters and Dean rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please.”

“I’m not saying we know for sure, I’m just saying that I think we—” Sam starts.

“Okay, okay, that’s the point. We don’t know for sure, so I’m not gonna believe this thing is a fucking ‘angel of the lord’ because it said so.”

“You three chuckleheads wanna keep arguing religion or you wanna come look at this,” Bobby calls from where he’s sitting in the living room. Addison stands up and the three of them walk into the study. Bobby turns the book he was reading and the three of them look at it. “I got stacks of lore. Biblical, pre-Biblical, some of it’s in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit.”

“What else,” Dean asks him.

“What else, what?”

“What else could do it?”

“Airlift your ass out of the hotbox? As far as I can tell, nothing.”

“See, Dean, this is great news,” Addison comments with a small smile.

“How,” Dean asks.

“Uh, because it was an angel who saved you. And guess what? Angels are on the good side.”

“Okay. Say its true. Say, there are angels. Then what? There’s a God?”

“This point. Vegas money’s on ‘yeah,’” Bobby answers and Dean smiles, turning away from them.

“I don’t know guys.”

“Dean, this is less about faith and more about proof now,” Addison tells him and Dean looks at her.

“Proof,” he ask her and Addison nods. “Proof that there’s a God out there that actually gives a shit about me, personally? I’m sorry, but I’m not buying it.”

“Why not,” Sam asks.

“Because why me? If there’s a God out there, why would he give a crap about me?”

“Dean—” Addison starts.

“I mean, I’ve saved some people, okay. I figure I’ve made up for the, uh, for the stealing and the - the ditching chicks. But why do I deserve to to get saved? I’m just a regular guy.”

“And Joan of Arc was a regular girl until God told her to lead the French army to victory against England. Point is the man upstairs thinks you’re important and that’s why you’re here,” Addison tells him.

“Well, that creeps me out. I mean, I don’t like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by…God.”

“Okay, well too bad, Dean. Because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat,” Sam counters and Addison grins.

“Fine. What do we know about angels?”

They look at Bobby, who had been quietly sitting there. He sits up in his chair and grabs a book from a pile before dropping it on the table with a thud. “Start reading.”

Dean turns to Sam and points at him. “You’re gonna get me some pie.”

* * *

Sam glances at Addison a they stop at a red light. She had been distant while they were in the store and he knew the exact reason why. But she had also been distant for the past couple of days. “Addison—”

“You haven’t told Dean yet, have you,” Addison asks, turning in the seat to look at him. “About Ruby?”

The light turns green and he presses on the gas. “No, I haven’t.”

Addison sighs and looks back out the window. “He thinks that we’re sleeping together. So, you can use that as a cover. I’ll even tag along.”

“Ads…” Sam trails off, not knowing what to say. He turns his attention back to the road and a silence falls over them.

When they arrive back at Bobby’s house, a tense and uncomfortable silence had settled over them. Bobby walks over to the Impala. “Keep your engine running.”

“Why,” Addison questions, exchanging a confused look with Sam. “What’s going on?”

“I’ve got a friend one state over, Olivia Lowry. I’ve been trying to reach her for three days on this angel thing. It’s not like her to ignore this many phone calls.”

“Olivia Lowry,” Sam repeats. “A hunter, right?”

“Yeah. We’re gonna go check on her. You guys follow me.”

Dean walks over to the driver’s side and opens the door. “Scoot over.” Addison rolls her eyes and climbs into the back. Sam hands Dean the bag from the store and Addison watches as he searches through it. “Dude.”

“Yeah,” Sam asks him.

“Where’s the pie?”

* * *

The three of them walk into the house behind Bobby, armed. “Olivia,” Bobby calls out and suddenly stops when they reach the living room. Addison looks around Dean and sees a bloody body lying in the middle of the room with a ribcage ripped open. Bobby turns and quickly leaves the house.

“Bobby,” Dean calls and is ignored by the older hunter. 

“Salt line,” Sam states, pointing to the line on the floor. They walk over it and look around the room, with Addison trying not to look at the body. She spots an EMF meter on the table filled with weapons.

“She had an EMF meter,” Addison comments, picking up the device.

“Spirit activity.”

Addison places the EMF back on the table and walks over to Sam. “Yeah, on steroids. I’ve never seen a ghost do this to a person,” Dean tells them as the door opens and Bobby walks back in. “Bobby, you all right?”

Bobby tightly grips his cell phone. “I called some hunters nearby—”

“Good. We could use the help.”

“Except, they ain’t answering their phones either.”

“Something’s up, huh,” Sam asks him.

“You think,” Bobby replies and walks out once again.

* * *

Addison takes a deep breath as she pushes open the door to the men’s room and walks in. “The ladies room is out of order,” she explains, quickly ducking into one of the stalls. Sam shakes his head and zips up his jeans.

“Look, Ads, you don’t have to help me. I mean, you’re not exactly Ruby’s biggest fan,” Sam replies as he washes his hands.

“Well, Ruby isn’t exactly a fan of mine,” Addison reminds, flushing the toilet. She emerges from the stall and walks over to the sink next to him. “Besides, you need someone there to remind you to take a break every once in a while. You like to push yourself past the breaking point, Sam.”

Sam notices the mirror freeze over. Neither of them had brought any kind of weapon into the bathroom. Addison turns around and freezes. She takes a step back and bumps into Sam, causing him to turn. Agent Henriksen was standing there. “Hiya, guys. It’s been a while.”

Sam takes a step forward. “Henriksen. Are you — did you—”

Henriksen disappears, then quickly reappears. “I didn’t survive. If that’s what you’re asking.”

“We’re sorry,” Addison softly says, taking a step towards the door.

“I know you are.”

Sam moves away from the door. “Look, if we’d known Lilith was coming we—”

“You wouldn’t have left a half a dozen innocent people in that police station to die in your place. You did this to me.” A guilty look appears on Sam’s face. “It was your fault. She was after you and I payed the price.”

“I—”

“You left us there to die!”

The second Sam flies across the bathroom, Addison yanks open the door and takes off across the parking lot. Dean wakes with a start when the door is slammed shut. He looks to see Addison rummaging through the trunk. He frowns when she grabs a shotgun and runs back to the bathroom. Dean enters the bathroom to find Addison kneeling on the ground next to Sam.

* * *

“Damn it, Bobby, pick up,” Dean says into his phone as they drive towards Bobby’s house. He glances at Sam, who was sitting in the passenger seat. Addison was leaning on the seat, with a comforting hand on Sam’s shoulder. “How are you feeling, huh? How many fingers am I holding up?”

“None,” Sam replies. “I’ll be fine, Dean.”

“Henriksen?”

“Yes, it was him,” Addison says.

“Why? What did he want?”

“Revenge cause we got him killed,” Sam sadly tells him.

Dean sighs. “Sam.”

“Well, we did, Dean.”

Dean hangs up his phone and glances at Sam. “It’s not your fault, Sam,” Addison softly tells him. “It’s no one’s fault. And what happened to Olivia and Jed seems to be happening to us. So, you can’t think about things that you had no control over. You have to focus on this.” She kisses his cheek. Dean shifts in his seat, feeling uncomfortable with the intimate moment between his younger brother and best friend.

* * *

They enter Bobby’s house holding weapons and start looking around for the older hunter. “Bobby,” Dean calls out. Addison looks through out the living room. Dean snaps his fingers and Addison and Sam look at him. He motions to the fire poker that was lying on the floor. “I’ll go. You two check outside.”

Addison follows Sam out of the house. She stares at the junkyard filled with old cars. “It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”

“I take the left, you take the right,” Sam says. Addison nods in agreement and starts to walk off. He grabs her arm. She looks at him. “Be careful.”

“Sam, I’m the red headed Buffy. Minus the slayer powers.” She smiles at him, then jogs to the right. Sam watches her for a moment, before walking away. Addison searches a few cars but doesn’t find anything. Her breath mists. “Bobby?”

Feeling someone staring at her, Addison turns around but doesn’t find anyone. She turns back and Henriksen is standing there. He starts to say something, but she fires a shot at him and Henriksen disappears.

Addison runs in the direction that Sam had went. She finds him searching one of the cars. “You okay,” Sam asks.

Addison nods. “Yeah. Henriksen showed up. Again.”

Sam lets out a deep breath and it mists. They look around, searching for any other sign of Bobby. Addison puts the shotgun on the ground and grabs an extra crowbar. Her and Sam work on opening the trunks of different cars. “Anything?”

“No.”

Sam notices a mirror covered in ice. It was attached to a car sitting higher up. “Ads!” She jogs over as he combs up. “Bobby! Hold on, Bobby! I’m coming!” He looks in the car and sees Bobby lying on the floor. “Bobby!” Sam wedges open the door, then is thrown back onto a windshield.

“Sam!” The ghost appears on top of Sam and Addison quickly swipes the crowbar through the ghost. They look up to see Bobby leaning out the door.

* * *

“So, they’re all people we know,” Sam asks, walking around Bobby’s living room. Dean was sitting on the couch, while Bobby was standing by his desk, which was covered in more books and paper than normal.

“Not just know. People we couldn’t save,” Dean replies as Addison walks into the living room. He watches as she moves to stand next to Sam. “Hey, I saw something on Meg. Did she have a tattoo when she was alive?”

Sam shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

“It was like a - a mark on her hand. Almost like a brand.”

“I saw a mark, too, on Henriksen.”

“What’d it look like,” Bobby asks.

“Uh, paper,” Sam asks. Bobby hands him a piece of paper. He quickly draws the marks and holds it up for Dean to see. Addison frowns, she had never seen that mark before.

“That’s it,” Dean says.

“I may have seen this before,” Bobby comments and moves over to the bookshelf. Dean hands Sam the rifle he was holding as the lights start to flicker. “We gotta move.”

Bobby shoves some of the books he was holding into Sam’s and Addison’s arms. “Whoa,” Addison says.

The older hunter grabs some more books and starts to walk out of the room. “Follow me.”

“Okay. Where are we going,” Sam asks.

“Someplace safe, you idjit,” Bobby answers. Addison smiles at Sam, then follows the older hunter. They walk down to the basement and Bobby goes over to a large door before pulling it open. The three of them enter and Addison looks around the circular room. There were protective symbols all over the walls and floor.

Cabinets were pushed up against the wall and revealed the numerous weapons that they held. A desk and chair were next to a wall. Shelve were filled with different canned food. There was a cot and another desk that held books. And a sofa with a poster hanging above it. Bobby closes and locks the door, before moving to put the books that he was carrying on the table.

Addison puts the books down. She touches the wall. “Is this—”

“Solid iron. Completely coated in salt. One hundred percent ghost proof.”

“You built a panic room,” Sam disbelievingly asks.

Bobby shrugs. “I had a weekend off.”

“Bobby,” Dean says. Addison rolls her eyes when she sees him holding one of the rifles from a cabinet.

“What?”

“You’re awesome,” Dean answers and Bobby lets out a laugh. “Oh.” The older hunter turns and notices the poster hanging up. Addison shakes her head in disbelief and takes a seat at one of the tables.

* * *

The room was filled with silence. Addison sat across from Bobby, each of them searching through one of the books that they had brought down. Dean and Sam sat at the other table, making salt rounds for the guns. “See, this is why I can’t get behind God,” Dean says, breaking the silence. Addison looks up from the book, confused.

“What are you talking about,” Sam asks him.

“If he doesn’t exist, fine. Bad shit happens to good people. That’s how it is. There’s no rhyme or reason, just random, horrible, evil…I get it, okay. I can roll with that. But if He is out there, what’s wrong with him? Where the hell is he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself? You know, what doesn’t he help?”

Addison looks down at the book in front of her, not knowing what to tell him. “I ain’t touching this one with a ten foot pole,” Bobby replies.

“Yeah."

Addison sighs. She looks up at Dean. “It’s just how God works, Dean,” she replies.

Dean shakes his head, clearly not believing her. He turns back to her. “When the hell did you start praying for me?”

She stares at him. “A long time ago. I pray for all of us. What’d you think that I did when I went to Sunday Mass?”

Silence settles over them. “Found it,” Bobby says after a moment, tapping the book with a pen.

“What,” Sam asks.

“The symbol you saw, the brand on the ghosts.”

“Yeah?”

“Mark of the Witness.”

“Witness? Witness to what?”

“The unnatural. None of them died what you’d call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts; they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They’re like rabid dogs. It ain’t their fault. Someone rose ‘em on purpose.”

“Who?”

“Do I look like I know,” Bobby counters. “But whoever it was, used a spell so powerful it left a mark, a brand on their souls. Whoever did this had big plans. It’s called ‘The Rising of the Witnesses.’”

“Wait, I’ve heard of that before,” Addison says, flipping through another, smaller book. It was well worn with a dark green leather cover. “It’s part of a prophecy.”

“What book is that prophecy from, Ads,” Dean asks, walking over to the table.

“Revelations. It’s supposed to be a sign of the apocalypse.”

“As in apocalypse, apocalypse? The four horsemen, pestilence, five dollar a gallon gas apocalypse?”

“That’s the one. ‘The Rising of the Witnesses’ is a…a mile marker,” Bobby explains.

“Okay, so what do we do now,” Sam asks.

“Road trip,” Dean replies. Addison stares at him as he walks back over to his seat. “Grand Canyon, Star Trek Experience, Bunny Ranch.”

“I vote for Hawaii,” Addison comments.

“First things first,” Bobby says and Dean looks at him. “How about we survive our friends out there?”

“Great. Any ideas besides staying in this room till judgement day,” Dean asks.

Bobby motions to the book in front of him. “It’s a spell…to send the witnesses back to rest. Should work.”

Sam scoffs. “Should. Great.”

“If I translated it correctly. I think I got everything we need here at the house.”

“Any chance you’ve got everything we need here in this room,” Dean asks.

“So, you thought our luck was gonna start now all of a sudden,” Bobby counters and walks over to the weapons cabinet. “Spell’s gotta be cast over an open fire.”

“There’s a fireplace in the library,” Addison states.

“Bingo,” Bobby says.

“That’s not as appealing as a ghost proof panic room, you know,” Dean comments.

* * *

“Cover each other. And aim carefully. Don’t run out of ammo until I’m done or they’ll shred you,” Bobby tells them, handing Addison a shotgun filled with salt rounds. “Ready?” Bobby opens the door and Sam walks out of the room, with Dean following him.

Addison takes a deep breath and walks out, with Bobby following her. They arrive at the stairs and Addison sees a figure sitting there. The ghost looks up and it’s Ronald Resnick. “Hey, guys. You remember me,” Ronald asks.

“Ronald, huh,” Dean questions. “With the laser eyes? I wish I could—”

A shot goes off. Dean turns to see Addison with her shotgun raised. She rolls her eyes and walks pat him. “And you make fun of me for crying at the end of _A Walk to Remember_.”

Bobby chuckles and follows her. Dean sees the amused look on his younger brother’s face. “Shut up.”

Once upstairs, Addison and Sam pour a salt ring around the desk and fireplace. Dean works on building a fire while Bobby starts gathering things. “Upstairs, linen closet. Red hex box. It’ll be heavy,” Bobby says.

“Got it,” Sam replies, then jogs up the stairs.

Addison sees two little girls standing outside a salt line. She shoots them and quickly moves to the other side of the salt line. Bobby shoots her a thankful look before turning to Dean. “Kitchen. Cutlery drawer. It’s a got a false bottom.” Dean nods and moves towards the kitchen. “Hemlock, opium, wormwood.”

Dean stops and looks back. “Opium?”

“Dean,” Addison snaps. He glares at her, then walks into the kitchen. Addison tightens her grip on the shot gun. The little girls appear again, this time by the window. She shoots them for a second time. She glances at Bobby. She wanted to ask questions, but kept her mouth shut. The doors separating the kitchen and living room slam shut.

“Dean,” Bobby calls out.

“I’m all right, Bobby,” Dean calls back. “Keep working!”

“Need any help,” Addison asks.

“Just keep the ghosts away,” Bobby answers, turning back to the book.

“Easier said than done,” Addison softly replies and looks around the room.

A few minutes later, Sam and Dean come in from the kitchen. Sam was carrying a box while Dean was carrying a bowl. Ronald appears on the outside of the salt line. She felt sympathy for all the ghosts. They had been unable to save them and seeing them angry, was making the long buried guilt surface. The ghosts keep appearing and they keep shooting them.

Henriksen flings Dean’s gun across the room. Addison shoots him. Meg shows up and pins Sam between a desk and bookshelf. Addison goes to shoot Meg but the ghost diapers. Addison drops the shotgun in shock when an icy cold pressure grips her heart. “Addison,” Sam shouts, pushing against the desk.

“You and Sam are monsters,” Meg angrily whispers and Addison gasps for air. “What the two of you do with Ruby—”

The ice cold pain disappears and Addison collapses to the ground. Dean makes his way over to her and kneels down. “Ads?”

“I’m fine,” Addison gasps as he helps her up. “I’m fine. You guys okay?”

“We’re fine,” Dean answers, glancing over to where Sam was helping Bobby up by the fireplace.

* * *

With a heavy heart, Addison sits down on the toilet lid. She watches as Sam shaves. She had spent most of the night staring at the ceiling. Meg’s words had kept replaying in her head. “We’re not monsters, are we?” He shoots her a confused look and she shakes her head.

Sam sets down the razor. He kneels down in front of her and sets his hands on her thighs. He remember what Meg had said to him. “Ads, I promise that we’re not monsters.” He could see the inner conflict play out on her face. “You’re gonna believe a ghost over me?”

“Of course not. But you know how feel I about this whole thing, Sam. I just want to know that we’re doing the right thing.”

He grasps her hand and squeezes. “We’re doing the right thing. And we’re saving so many people.”

“You’re saving all those people, Sam. I just make sure they get home.”

“We’re saving so many people, Ads,” Sam tells her. He reaches up brushes a loose curl back. “We’re doing the right thing. And we’ll find a different a cover to use.” Addison opens her mouth and he shakes his head. “Dean’s an idiot.”

Sam presses a soft kiss to her cheek as the bathroom door suddenly opens. “Whoa, hey,” Dean exclaims. He backs out of the bathroom. Addison rolls her eyes. “The last thing anyone wants to see when they get up in the morning is the two of you fucking.”

“You need to learn how to knock,” Addison tells him.

When Dean doesn’t say anything, Sam takes another look at his older brother. “What’s wrong, Dean?”

“So…you guys got no problem believing in…God and angels?”

Sam and Addison exchange a look. “No, not really.”

“So, I guess that means you believe in the devil.”

Sam frowns. “Why are you asking me all this?”


	3. Metamorphosis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Addison stands behind Sam as he interrogates the demon tied to a chair. Ruby was on Sam’s other side. Addison didn’t trust the demon, but Sam did and she had reluctantly gotten used to the demon being around. “Where’s Lilith,” Sam questions.

The demon glares at them. “Kiss my ass.”

Sam darkly smiles. “I’d watch myself if I were you."

“Why? Huh? Because you’re Sam Winchester, Mr. Big Hero? And yet here you are, slutting around with some demon. Real hero.”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Tell more about those months without your brother. About all the things you and the demon bitch do in the dark. Huh? Tell me, hero.”

An angry look appears on Sam’s face. He holds out his hand and closes his eyes. Slowly, the demon comes out of the man and burns as it goes through the floor. Addison watches as Sam takes a deep breath. She walks up to the man and places her fingers on his neck, searching for a pulse. “He’s good,” Addison says, moving behind the man.

Sam smiles and looks at Ruby. “How’d it feel,” Ruby asks.

“Good. No more headaches,” Sam answers.

“None? That’s good.”

The man in the chair groans and Addison helps him up. “Hey. It’s okay. I got you,” she softly tells him. She starts towards the door with the man but stops. Dean was blocking the exit, an extremely angry look on his face. “Crap.”

“So, anything you two wanna tell me, Sam,” Dean coldly greets, walking towards his brother.

Addison leans the man against the wall, nervously watching Dean. This was not how she wanted Dean to find out. Sam sighs. “Dean, hold on, okay? Just let me—”

“You gonna say ‘let me explain?’ You’re gonna explain this? How about this? Why don’t you start with who she is and what the hell is she doing here?”

Sam and Ruby exchange a look. “It’s good to see you again, Dean,” Ruby greets.

Dean glances at Addison but she avoids his gaze. “Ruby,” he disbelievingly asks and the demon smiles. “Is that Ruby?”

Sam doesn’t answer and after a moment, Dean shoves Ruby against the wall. He pulls out the knife, but Sam grabs his arm before he stabs her. “Don’t!” Addison moves out of the way as Sam and Dean fight for the knife. Sam gets the knife and Ruby shoves Dean against the wall. “Ruby! Stop it,” Sam orders. Ruby stares at Dean, then lets go of him, taking a step back.

“Well, aren’t you an obedient little bitch,” Dean says.

“Ruby,” Sam warns and motions to the man. “Ruby, he’s hurt. Go.” Ruby gives Dean a cold look and walks over to the man. She pulls his arm around her shoulder.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“The ER…unless you want to go another round first,” Ruby retorts, then makes her way out of the cabin.

A tense silence fills the room and Sam stares at his brother. “Dean.” He doesn’t say anything and walks out of the room. “Dean!”

* * *

Sam looks up from the book he was reading to watch Addison pace around the motel room. Ever since they came back, it’s what she had been doing. “Ads—”

“This is why you should’ve told him, Sam,” Addison interrupts. “And I mean everything.”

Sam runs a hand over his face. “Look, everything’s gonna be okay. Dean just needs time to cool down.”

“Cool down,” Addison disbelievingly repeats. “Cool down!? Dean’s pissed. He’s not just gonna cool down within a few hours. When he comes back, Sam, you are gonna—”

Sam stands up and grabs her shoulders. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

Addison rolls her eyes. “Stop trying to distract me.”

“I’m not distracting you,” Sam amusedly replies. He rubs her arms. “Everything’s gonna be fine, Ads. You gotta stop worrying so much. And I will tell Dean in my own time.”

Addison sighs. “How mad do you think he is?”

“I’m pretty sure Dean knows that I make my own decisions, Ads. Don’t worry.” Sam pulls her into a tight embrace and she buries her face in his chest.

The door opens and they pull apart as Dean enters the room. He grabs his duffel bag and starts packing his stuff. “Dean, what are you doing,” Addison nervously asks.

Dean ignores her and she looks at Sam. He walks over to his brother. “What? Are you — are you leaving,” Sam asks him.

“You guys don’t need me. You two and Ruby go fight demons,” Dean coldly replies and starts to leave the room, but Sam blocks his way.

“Hold on. Dean, come on, man.” Dean punches him and Sam turns by the force behind it. Addison jumps and moves towards the bathroom. “You satisfied?” Dean punches him once more and then throws his bag on the floor. “I guess not.”

“Do you even know how far off the reservation you’ve gone? How far from normal? From human?"

“I’m just exorcising demons.”

“With your mind!” Dean takes a deep breath. “What else can you do?"

“I can send them back to Hell. It only works with demons and that’s it.”

Dean grabs the front of Sam’s shirt and pushes him towards the wall. “What else can you do?”

“I told you,” Sam yells and pushes Dean off of him.

“And I have every reason in the world to believe that.”

“Look, I should have said something,” Sam says as Dean starts towards Addison, but stops. “I’m sorry, Dean. I am. But try to see the other side here.”

Dean turns to him. “The other side?”

“I’m pulling demons out of innocent people,” Sam answers.

“Use the knife,” Dean angrily shouts.

“The knife kills the victim! What I do, most of them survive! Look, I’ve saved more people in the past five months than we save in a year.”

“That what Ruby want you to think? Huh? Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers? Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it’s gonna get darker and darker and God knows where it ends.” Dean turns to Addison. “You should’ve told me about this the minute that I came back.”

“I - I - Dean,” Addison stutters, taking a step back. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t wanna hear your damn apology, Addison! You should’ve told me!”

“Leave her out of this,” Sam angrily says. “Dean, I’m not gonna let it go too far.”

Dean coldly smiles at him and grabs the lamp on the dresser. He throws it against the wall and Addison stares at him, fear written in her gaze. “It’s already gone too far, Sam! If I didn’t know you…I would wanna hunt you.” Sam nods and looks down at the worn carpet. “And so would other hunters.”

Sam looks at him. “You were gone. I was here. I had to keep fighting without you. And what I’m doing…it works.”

“Well, tell me. If it’s so terrific…then why’d you lie about it,” Dean demands and Sam looks down. “Why did an angel tell me to stop you?”

Addison stares at Dean, confusion written on her face. “What are you talking about,” she quietly asks.

“Cas said that if I don’t stop Sam, he will,” Dean tells her. He turns to his younger brother. “See what that means, Sam? That means that God doesn’t want you doing this. So, are you just gonna stand there and tell me everything is all good?”

A tense silence falls over the room and Addison looks at the ground. A phone rings and she flinches. “Hello,” Sam answers. “Hey, Travis. Yeah, hey, uh…It’s good to hear your voice too. Yeah. Um, look, it’s not really a good time right now. It’s…Yeah, okay. Uh, well, just give me the details, and, uh…Carthage, Missouri. Looking for Jack Montgomery.” Silence once more falls over the room and Addison takes a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears.

* * *

“I can’t believe it. Mom, a hunter,” Sam says after a moment. Dean had explained the trip back in time he had taken and what had happened. Neither of them expected that Mary Winchester had been a hunter at one time or that Patrick Sloan had been good friends with their mother and grandparents.

“I wouldn’t have believe it either if I hadn’t seen it myself. That woman could kick some ass. I mean, she almost took me down,” Dean replies, glancing in the rearview mirror to see Addison leaning against the door, asleep.

“How’d she look? I mean…was she happy?"

“Yeah, she was awesome. Funny and smart. So hopeful…Dad, too. Until of course…” Sam lets out a sigh and Dean glances at him. “What?”

“Nothing.” A silence settles over them and Sam looks at him. “It’s just, our parents. And now we find out our grandparents too? Our whole family murdered and for what? So Yellow Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?”

“Sam, I never said anything about demon blood,” Dean replies and looks at Sam to see a guilty look on his face. “You knew about that?”

“Yeah, for about a year.”

“A whole year?”

“I should have told you. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve been saying that a lot lately, Sam. But whatever. You don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to. It’s fine.”

“Dean,” Sam says and turns back to look out the window. “Whatever.” He glance in the side mirror at Addison. “You don’t think that Patrick told Addison, do you?”

Dean looks in the rearview mirror. He looks back at the dark highway. “Ads wouldn’t lie about that.”

* * *

“Are you sure that’s him,” Dean asks, looking through the binoculars at the man inside the house they were sitting in front of. It was a regular two story house in a suburban neighborhood. Two cars were parked in the drive way. The man walks into the kitchen where a dark haired woman was cooking.

“Only Jack Montgomery in town,” Sam responds.

“And we’re looking for…”

“Travis said to keep an eye for anything weird.”

“Well, Travis’ definition of weird is different from my definition of weird. This guys seems like a normal guy having a normal beer after a crappy day at work,” Addison says, looking through a pair of binoculars.

“Well, I don’t know, Ads. Travis seemed pretty sure,” Sam replies and holds up his pair binoculars. They watch as Jack starts to chew down on food from the fridge, including eating uncooked hamburger. “I’d say that qualifies as weird.”

* * *

They enter the motel room and Addison rolls her eyes when Dean and Sam suddenly stop in front of her. “Travis,” Sam greets. Travis was an older hunter. He had a buzz cut of grey hair and his right arm was in a cast up to his elbow. He was sitting at the table, with a beer in his good hand.

“See, Sam. Told you we should have hid the beer,” Dean says and Travis stands up.

“Smart ass. Get over here,” Travis replies, laughing. He hugs Dean. “Ahh, good to see you.”

“You too.”

They pull part and Travis pulls Sam into a hug. “Good to see you.”

“You too, Travis,” Sam replies and they pulls apart.

“Man, you got tall, kid,” Travis comments and they laugh. “How long has it been?”

“Ah, gotta be ten years.”

“You still a…oh, what was it…a mathlete?”

“No.”

“Yep, sure is,” Dean jokes and Travis’ gaze lands on Addison.

“And if it isn’t little Addison Sloan all grown up and still short. Last time I saw your old man, he couldn’t stop bragging about you going to that fancy school,” Travis says and pulls Addison into a hug.

“Yale. That fancy school was Yale,” Addison correct, awkwardly patting Travis on the back. She didn’t have a problem with Travis. She just didn’t like him. She moves to stand beside Sam.

“Been too long. I mean, look at you. Grown up. John and Patrick would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this.”

Addison forces a smile. She doubted that Patrick or John would’ve been proud of them. “Yeah,” Dean says. “Yeah, we’re as thick as thieves. Nothing more important than family.”

“Sorry, I’m late for the dance,” Travis says, sitting back down at the table. “Thanks for helping out an old man. I’m a little, uh, shorthanded. So, you track down Montgomery?”

“Yeah,” Addison replies. “He was at his house.”

“And?”

“Well, he had a hell of case of the munchies, topped off with a burger her forgot to cook,” Dean says.

Travis nods. “That’s him all right.”

“What’s him?”

“We got a rougarou on our hands.”

A confused look appears on Dean’s face. He glances at Sam who had a impassive face while Addison seemed confused also. “A rougarou? Is that made up? That sounds made up.”

“They’re mean, nasty little suckers. Rotted teeth, wormy skin. The works.”

“Yeah, except that Mr. Jack Montgomery seemed more like a douche from the Wall Street than ugly ass monster,” Addison counters.

“He’ll turn ugly soon enough. They start out human, for all intents and purposes.”

“So, what? They go through some kind of metamorphosis,” Sam questions.

“Yep, like a maggot turning into a bull fly. But most of all, they’re hungry.”

“Hungry for what,” Dean asks.

“At first for everything, but then…for long pig.”

Sam lets out a breath as Addison tenses. Dean frowns. “Long pig?”

“He means human flesh,” Sam explains.

“And that is my word of the day.”

“Hunger grows in till they can’t fight it. Till they got to take themselves a big, juicy chomp and then it happens,” Travis continues.

“So, what happens,” Addison asks.

“They transform completely and fast. One bite’s all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin; all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they’re a monster forever. And our man Jack’s headed there on a bullet train.”

“Well, how’d you find this guy if he’s a walking, talking human,” Dean questions.

“Let’s just say it runs in his family.”

“You mean, uh…” Sam trails off.

“Killed his daddy back in ’78. Son of a bitch mangled eight bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife…little did I know, pregnant trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system.”

Sam shoots him a disbelieving look. “You mean to tell me you couldn’t find someone?”

Travis sighs and takes a swig of beer. “I’m not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid…I don’t think I’d have the heart. No. I wanted to wait, make damn sure I had the right man. Apparently, I do.”

* * *

Addison stops in front of Sam as they walk back towards the motel. She had enjoyed their impromptu research trip, since it gave them a chance to have alone time. Even if it was mostly spent in a local library. “Remember what you told me,” she says. “About when I asked you if we were monsters for doing what we do.”

Sam sighs. “Ads—”

“Sam, you know that Dean didn’t mean what he said. Besides, if Dean did mean it, I’d totally kick his ass. And we both know who’d win.”

Sam laughs. “Yeah, Dean would.”

“Uh, hello. I seem to remember kicking your ass this summer.”

“Yeah, but I was going easy on you.”

Addison gasps. “Sam!”

He drapes his arm around her shoulders as they start towards the motel. “But you would put up a good fight, Ads.”

“Now, you’re just trying to get out of the doghouse.” She opens the door and they walk in to find Dean and Travis making torches out of small portable propane cans. “Wow, you two don’t waste anytime.”

“None to waste,” Travis tells her. “The guy hulks out, we won’t be finding bodies, just remains.”

“What if he doesn’t hulk out,” Sam says, sitting down on a bed. “Me and Ads did a little homework. Uh, we’ve been checking out the lore on rougarous.”

“What? My thirty years of experience not good enough for you two?”

“What? No. No, I - I - I just wanted to be prepared. I mean, not that you didn’t—”

“Sam loves research,” Dean interrupts. “He does. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. It’s a sickness. It is.”

“Travis, everything you said, we found,” Addison says. “But we also found a few other stores about people with the rougarou gene. They start to turn, but they don’t take that final step.”

“Really?”

“If they never eat human flesh, they don’t turn all the way.”

“So, what? Go vegan, stay human?”

“Basically,” Sam continues. “Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not…”

“Long pig.”

“Right.”

Dean smiles at them, but Addison knew it wasn’t genuine. “Good on you two for the due diligence, Sam,” Travis says. “But those are fairy tales. Fact is, every rougarou I ever saw or heard of…took that bite.”

“Okay, well, that doesn’t mean that Jack will.”

“So, what do we do? Sit and hope and wait for a body count?”

“No, we talk to him. Explain what’s happening. That way he can fight it,” Sam argues.

Travis scoffs. “Fight it? Are you kidding me? You ever been really hungry? I mean, haven’t eaten in days hungry?”

“Yeah,” Dean answers.

“Yeah. Right then. So, somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walk away? That’s what we are to him now, meat on legs. I’m sorry. I’m sure he’s a stand up guy, but it’s pure base instinct. Everything in nature’s gotta eat. You think he can stop himself cause he’s nice?”

Sam stonily stares at Travis. “I don’t know. But we’re not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for.”

Addison watches as Sam walks out of the room. She stands there for a moment, then goes after him. She easily catches up with him in the parking lot. “We’ll go talk to him,” she says. “I’ll go get the keys from Dean and we’ll go talk to Jack.”

Sam lets out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, okay.”

* * *

Addison looks between the brothers. Dean was in the driver’s seat while Sam was in the passenger seat. The tension was thick. And it had been that way since they climbed into the Impala. “All right, so we’re gonna go have a little chat with this guy, which you know…I’m down,” Dean says, breaking the silence. “But I just want to make sure, if push comes, you’re gonna shove.”

Sam tears his gaze from the passing scenery. “Meaning?”

“Well, odds are we’re gonna have to burn this guy alive.”

“This guy has a name and a wife.”

“Yeah, who we’re probably gonna make a widow, okay? I mean you heard Travis. He’s gonna turn. They always turn.”

“Well, maybe he won’t. Maybe he can fight it off.”

“And maybe he can’t. That’s all I’m saying.”

“All right, we’ll just have to see, then okay?”

Dean sighs. “This is what I mean, Sam. You sure your emotions aren’t getting in the way here?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know, nice dude, but he’s got something evil inside. Something in his blood. Maybe you can relate.”

An angry look appears on Sam’s face. “Stop the car.”

“What?”

Sam glares at him. “Stop the car or I will!” Dean pulls the Impala off the road. Sam opens the door and quickly climbs out. Addison follows suit, a worried look on her face. Dean climbs out as Sam slams his door shut. “You want to know why I’ve been lying to you, Dean? Because of crap like this.”

“Like what,” Dean asks, walking around the Impala to meet Sam.

“The way you talk to me, the way you look at me like I’m a freak!”

“I do not.”

“You know, or even worse, like I’m an idiot! Like I don’t know the difference between right and wrong!” Dean starts towards, then stops. Sam looks at him. “What?”

“Do you know the difference, Sam,” Dean angrily asks. “I mean, you’ve been kind of strolling a dark road lately.”

“You have no idea what I’m going through. None.”

“Then enlighten me!”

“I’ve got demon blood in me, Dean! This disease pumping through my veins and I can’t ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I’m a whole new level of freak! And I’m just trying to take this - this curse and make something good out of it. Because I have to.”

Addison watches as Dean stares at Sam, who was staring at the ground. She had no idea what to do. But she also knew that nothing she said could make things better. “Let’s just go talk to the guy,” Dean says after a moment. Sam scoffs. “I mean Jack. Okay?” Sam nods and Dean walks back around the Impala. Addison softly smiles at Sam as they climb into the Impala.

* * *

The backyard of the Montgomery’s house was spacious with many flowerbeds. A fountain was in the middle and Addison could see a hummingbird feeder hanging from the back porch. A man was watering flowers, not paying any attention to what he was doing. “Jack Montgomery,” Addison asks, moving over to him. He blinks and looks at them. “Hi. I’m Addison Sloan and this is Sam and Dean Winchester. We need to talk to you.”

“About,” Jack asks, looking between the trio.

“You and how you’re changing.”

“Excuse me.”

“You’re probably feeling your bones move under your skin. And your appetite’s reaching, you know, hungry hungry hippo levels,” Dean says. “How am I doing so far?”

Jack stares at them. “Who the hell are you guys?”

“We’re people who know a little something about something.”

“We’re people who can help,” Sam clarifies. “Please, just hear us out.”

Addison and Sam explain everything they know about rougarous to Jack. He stares at them in disbelief. “A - a what?”

“A rougarou,” Dean answers. “Sounds made up, I know, but believe me, it’s not.”

Jack sighs and turns away from them. “All right. I’ve noticed certain things. I mean, some strange things. But I just…I - I don’t know. I’m…I’m sick or something.”

“Your father was a rougarou,” Addison tells. Jack looks at her, stunned. “Your biological father. You inherited it from him.”

“No. Are - are you guys listening to yourselves? You sound like you’re—”

“Skip the whole ‘you guys sound crazy’ shall we,” Dean interrupts. “You’re hungry, Jack. You’re only gonna get hungrier.”

“Hungrier for…”

“Long pig. You know, a little manburger helper may have crossed your mind already.”

Jack shakes his head. “No.”

“It doesn’t have to be like this, Jack,” Sam tells him. “You can fight it off.”

“No.”

“Other people have,” Addison says.

“We’re not gonna lie to you, though. It’s not gonna be easy. You’re gonna feel like an alcoholic swimming around in whiskey. But I’m telling you. You gotta say no or…” Dean trails off.

“Or what,” Jack demands.

Addison sighs. “If you feed once, then it’s over. And we have to…stop you.”

“Stop me? My dad, did, uh, somebody stop him?”

“Yes.”

“Get off my property right now. I see you guys again, I’m calling the cops.”

“Jack, your wife, everybody you know, they’re in danger,” Sam says, hoping that Jack would listen to him.

“Now!”

They notice a neighbor look over the fence. Addison grabs Sam’s arm as they walk out of the backyard. “Good talk,” Dean retorts. Addison shoots him a glare, then sighs.

* * *

Addison stares out at the dark street. They had followed Jack after he left his house earlier that evening. Currently, he was sitting on a bench across the street from an apartment building. Suddenly, Jack stands up and walks over to the building. “Damn it, Jack. No,” Sam says. Addison silently hands him and Dean torches as they climb out of the Impala.

After seeing which apartment Jack was going to, they run into the building. The boys kick down the door and burst into the apartment. A young woman wearing a t-shirt and panties screams. “Wait,” Dean shouts, as the woman runs back into her bedroom and slams the door shut. “Whoa, uh, we’re here to save you, I guess.”

“I’m calling the police,” the woman screams.

“We should go,” Sam says, backing out of the apartment.

“Yeah,” Dean agrees.

Addison rolls her eyes and quietly closes the door. “You two are unbelievable,” she quietly says, pushing past them. Dean glares at her and she shakes her head.

* * *

They pull up in front of Jack’s house. As they climb out, torches in hand, they see a familiar truck parked across the street. “I guess now we know where Travis is,” Dean says, walking around the Impala.

“That stupid son of a bitch,” Sam comments as they walk up to the house.

Dean glances at Sam, but remains silent. He slowly opens the door and they enter the house. Addison closes the door behind them and then looks around. A chair was knocked over. The trio stop seeing a trail of blood on the white carpet. They follow the trail behind the couch and Addison quickly looks away seeing chunks of meat. “Oh, God. Think that’s Travis,” Dean asks.

“What’s left of him at least,” Addison softly answers.

“Guess you were right about Jack,” Sam sadly states. Addison looks at him. Suddenly, Dean’s tackled across the room. He lands on a coffee table and gets knocked out. Addison quickly moves as Jack turns his sight on Sam. Jack moves toward Sam as he struggles to get his torch lit. Addison runs up and slams her torch on the back of Jack’s head, hoping to buy Sam a few minutes. Jack turns around and wraps a hand around her throat. Then he throws her into a column and she falls to the ground, unconscious.

Addison slowly opens her eyes. She couldn’t see Sam, but she could see Dean still on the coffee table. Jack was sitting on the floor by the coffee table. “Dean? Addison,” Sam calls out. She snaps her eyes shut when Jack looks in her direction.

“Dean and Addison can’t come to the phone right now,” Jack replies, turning back to look at Dean.

A bang comes from a door. “Jack! If you hurt them, I swear to God!”

“Calm down! They’re alive. But not if you don’t calm down.”

“All right, Jack. Listen. Open the door. We can figure this out, okay?”

Addison opens her eyes. She glances at Jack to find him staring at Dean. Quietly, she rolls onto her back. She bites her lip to keep in the groan of pain. She sees her torch a couple of feet to her right.

Jack bitterly laughs. “We’ll have ourselves a little brainstorming session.”

“Jack. Please.”

Addison slowly scoots to her right. She kept one eye on Jack’s back. She freezes when Jack glances in her direction, but he was paying more attention to Sam.

“I don’t think so. After what you did?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You sent your friend here. He tried to burn my wife alive.”

“What? Why?”

Addison reaches her hand out and clasps the torch’s handle. She reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a silver zippo.

“He didn’t say. I guess psychopaths don’t have to explain themselves.”

Hearing Jack move, Addison looks to see him moving over Dean’s body. She flips open her zippo.

“Listen to me. You gotta believe me. We never would have hurt her, okay?”

“Oh, God. I’m so hungry.”

“Jack, don’t do this.”

“I can’t ever see my family again. You three…your friend. You made me into this!”

Addison takes a deep breath and slowly stands up. She lights her zippo and Jack turns to her. She takes a couple of steps back and Jack walks towards her.

“No one’s making you kill us,” Sam continues. “Listen to me. You got this dark pit inside you. I know. Believe me, I know. But that doesn’t mean you have to fall into it. You don’t have to be a monster. It doesn’t matter what you are. It only matters what you do. It’s your choice.”

Jack tackles her to the floor. Addison brings her legs up under him and shoves him off. She jumps up and fires the torch at him. Jack falls to the floor in the flames. A door slams open and she looks up to see Sam. His shoulders slump in defeat. A low groan causes Addison to turn and see Dean looking at them.

* * *

Addison glances at the bathroom when the shower comes on, then back at Sam. He was sitting on a bed, staring at the TV but not really watching. She stands in front of him, arms crossed over her chest. “You’re really done with it,” she asks. A confused look crosses his face. “I heard you and Dean talking earlier.”

Sam chuckles. “You’re never really sleeping, are you?”

She smirks. “I’m not gonna reveal all my superpowers.”

“Yeah, I’m giving it up.”

Addison smiles. “Good.”

“You were pretty badass today, taking out Jack by yourself. Kinda like Buffy.”

Addison grabs the remote and sits down on the bed next to him. “I was thinking more badass like Faith.”


	4. Monster Movie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

“The radio around here sucks,” Dean says, turning off the music that was playing in the Impala. Addison lets out a snore as lightening flashing in the distance. He glances at Sam to see him reading a file on their latest case. “Come on, man. Jobs don’t get much sweeter than this, you know? Dead vic with a gnawed on neck, body drained of blood, and a waitress who swears up and down that it was a vampire.”

“No, no, I agree. It’s a hell of a case,” Sam replies, not looking at him.

“A little more gusto please.”

Sam slams the file shut and sets it on the dashboard. “It’s just…the world is coming to an end. Things are a little complicated, you know.”

“Yeah, well, we can’t save the world, okay? I mean, not today. But what we can do is chop off some vamps’ heads. Come on, man, it’s like the good old days; an honest to goodness monster hunt. It’s about time we got back to tackling a straightforward, black and white case.” Dean glances in the rearview mirror at Addison and frowns. “Is she drooling? She better not be drooling.” Sam turns around and laughs seeing the small puddle by Addison’s mouth. “Dude. Wake her up.”

“I’m not waking her up.”

“She’s your fuck buddy.”

Sam scoffs. “I’m not sleeping with Addison.” Dean shoots him a disbelieving look. “I’m not.”

“Really?”

“I’m not sleeping with her.”

“I mean, she has needs. You have needs. Stress builds. And sometimes you gotta take care of those needs. I’d totally be cool with it if you were. You both consenting adults.”

Sam rolls his eyes. “I’m still not waking her up, Dean.”

* * *

Addison smooths down her blazer as she looks around the Oktoberfest fair. Polka music was being played over a speaker. Venders were spread around, selling various German food while many of the workers wore lederhosen. “You know we still gotta see the new  _Raiders_ movie,” Dean says.

“Saw it,” Sam replies.

“Without me?”

“You were in Hell.”

“That’s no excuse!” Addison sees the pretzel stand. She reaches into Sam’s back pocket and pulls out his wallet. “Where is — Big pretzels!”

Sam shakes his head in amusement as they get some pretzels. Addison hands Sam a pretzel and his wallet back. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Addison says, smiling.

A blonde woman wearing lederhosen walks past them, smiling. “Guten Tag.”

Dean turns to watch her. “Guten Tag yourself.” The woman looks back at them. Addison laughs as the boys exchange a look.

Sam notices a man sitting at a table, eating a pretzel. “Looks like that’s our man,” he says, nodding to the man. Addison frowns when Dean quickly finishes eating his pretzel. She shakes her head and wraps hers up before shoving it in a pocket. “Sheriff Deitrich.”

Sheriff Deitrich looks up. “Are you guys from the Fed?”

They flash their fake badges. “Agents Angus, Young, and Johnson. We called ahead about your uh…problem.”

“Right, um…” Sheriff Deitrich stands up. He looks around at the crowd. “Right, um…uh, I’ll tell you what, why don’t we talk this out away from the crowd, huh?”

* * *

Away from the crowd ended up being the local morgue, which wasn’t that far from the fair grounds. Sheriff Deitrich pulls out a body slab and pulls back the sheet to reveal the bite marks on the victim’s neck. “Marisa Wright, twenty-six, just down from Larkin for the fest. Terrible, just terrible. It’s the last thing this town needs in peak tourist season.”

“Definitely the last thing Marisa Wright needed,” Sam replies.

Addison leans down and gently moves the victim’s head. Two distinct holes were on the side of her neck. “What the fuck?”

“Yeah, you got me. I mean, this killer’s some kind of Grade-A wacko, right? I mean, some Satan worshiping, Anne Rice reading gothic psycho vampire wannabe.”

Addison shoots Sheriff Deitrich a disbelieving look. “Sheriff, in your report you mentioned a witness,” Dean says.

Sheriff Deitrich sighs. “Well, I wish I’d didn’t, but the witness insisted. That’s Ed Brewer, not exactly what you’d call reliable.”

Addison nods. “And where can we find Mr. Brewer,” she questions as he pushes the body back in the cooler.

* * *

Addison tosses the paper towel in the garbage can as she walks out of the bathroom. The beer hall was crowded with tourists, but she easily spots the guys standing at the bar, talking with the blonde woman they had seen earlier. As she walks up to the bar, she notices the woman’s name tag said ‘Jamie.’ Addison raises an eyebrow as Dean leans on the bar. “I’m a maverick, ma’am. A rebel with a badge. One thing I don’t play by? The rules,” he says. He winks and Jamie just stares at him.

“Okay,” Addison says, pulling out her badge and showing it to Jamie. “Can you tell us where to find a Mr. Brewer?”

“He’s over there,” Jamie says, motioning to the back of the beer hall. “Glasses, kinda of nerdy looking. Can’t miss him.”

“Thank you.” Addison turns and walks away, with Sam following her. Dean shoots Jamie a grin and goes after them. They easily find Ed at the back of the bar, with a very large beer stein in front of him. “Mr. Ed Brewer?” He looks up at them and they flash their badges. “We wanted to talk about what you saw.”

“I told the cops everything I saw,” Ed says as they sits down across from him. “No one believes me, why should you be any different?”

“Believe me. Mr. Brewer, we’re different,” Dean replies.

“I spoke the God’s honest truth and now I’m the town joke.”

“Marisa Wright’s murder is no joke to us and we wanna hear everything. No matter how strange it may seem,” Sam tells him.

“We have a lot of experience with strange,” Dean finishes.

Ed nods and takes another swig of beer. “It was just after midnight, I just left here and like I do every night, I cut through the park on the way home. At first I thought it was a - a couple kissing, but she was struggling too much. And this man, he was, well, he was biting her neck."

“Can you describe her attacker,” Addison questions.

“Oh, it was a vampire.”

Dean nods. “Okay, right, and by that you mean…”

“You know, uh, a vampire.”

Ed hisses and Addison stares at him. Skepticism was written on her face. “Right.”

“Yeah.”

“How did he look?”

“He looked like a vampire. You know, with the fangs and the slicked back hair and the fancy cape and the little medallion thing on the, uh, ribbon.”

Addison raises an eyebrow. “Like Dracula?”

“Exactly! Like Dracula. Right down to the accent.”

“The accent,” Sam asks, trying to keep the amusement off his face. Ed stares at him, a serious look on his face. “What did he say?”

“You know, something like…” Ed moves his arm in front of his face. “Stay away mortal! The night is mine!” He puts his arm down and looks between the three of them. “You do believe me, don’t you?”

“Of course, Mr. Brewer,” Addison tells him, smiling. She stands up with the guys following suit. “Thank you for your time and cooperation.” They walk away from Ed’s table and she sighs. Sam and Addison watch as Dean makes a beeline right for the bar. They exchange a look before following him.

Dean turns to them, a grin on his face. “So, what do you think, hmm? Goth psycho vampire wannabe, right?”

“Definitely not our kind of case,” Sam replies a they make their way to an empty booth.

“Agreed, but who cares. Room’s paid for and it’s Oktoberfest. Come on, brother, beer and bar wenches.”

Sam glances at Addison as she rolls her eyes. “I’m pretty sure women today don’t react well to the whole wench thing, Dean.”

Dean stares at him for a moment, then turns to the bar. “Hey, bar wench! Where’s that beer?”

“Coming up, good sir,” a feminine voice shouts back.

He looks at them with a smirk. “Obtoberfest.”

Jamie walks over to the table and sets down a beer in front of Dean. “There you go.” She turns to Sam and Addison. “What can I get ya?”

“Oh, they don’t drink,” Dean quickly answers. “They’re Christian Scientists. Yeah, don’t even take aspirin. They’re a real drag on stake outs.”

Jamie laughs. “You’re funny.”

Dean leans towards her, a leer on his face. “Well, I”m a lot more than that. I’d love to get a chance to show you the rest. What time do you get off?”

“Ha, ha. Like I said, funny,” Jamie replies, then walks away.

Addison laughs at the shocked look on Dean’s face. He sighs and picks up his beer. “Man, it is time to right some wrongs.”

“Come again,” Sam asks.

“Well, look at me. I mean, I came back from the furnace without any of my old scars, right? No bullet wounds, knife cuts, none of the off angle fingers from all the breaks. I mean my hide is as smooth as a baby’s bottom, which leads me to conclude, sadly, that my virginity is intact.”

“What?”

“I have been rehymenated.”

Addison shakes her head in disbelief as Sam laughs. “Please! Dean, maybe angels can pull you out of Hell, but no one could do that.”

“Brother, I have been rehymenated. And the dude will not abide.”

“All right, Dean, you enjoy…” Addison trails off as a group of women walk past them and Dean watches them. “You enjoy your five seconds with Jamie. We’re gonna head back to the room.”

Dean glares at her. “Five seconds?”

Addison shrugs as Sam slides out of the booth. “Don’t say that you’re a virgin, Dean.” She slides out of the booth and walks out of the beer hall with Sam.

“Sleep,” Sam states, placing his hand on the small of her back.

“Sleep.”

* * *

Addison stares at the young woman across the table from her, Sam, and Dean. They had received a call from Sheriff Deitrich that morning, asking for help on the latest strange attack. The woman was drinking a Big Gulp from a 7-Eleven. “And then it just…it just tore Rick into little pieces,” the woman says, looking up from her soda.

“Ma’am, we understand how hard this is. Can you describe the creature,” Dean asks.

“Oh. It was a werewolf.”

Addison frowns. “A werewolf?”

“Mm hmm.”

“And you’re positive that you saw a werewolf?”

“Oh yeah, with the furry face and the black nose and the claws and - and the torn up pants and shirt. Like from the old movies.”

“Well, okay, so…thank you for you time,” Dean says, as they stand up and walk away.

* * *

“First a Dracula and now a full on movie time wolf man,” Dean comments as he looks around the morgue. Addison was flipping through an autopsy report while Sam was loping for the body of the latest victim. “What the hell is going on in this town?”

“Beats me,” Addison replies, joining the guys. Sam finds the drawer and pulls it open. He unzips the body bag and they reel back.

“All right, whatever did this wasn’t a psycho wannabe,” Sam comments. He grabs a pen and lifts up pieces of the flesh. Deep bite marks were on the bone. “Look at those bite marks, right down to the bone…and deeper.”

“Strong enough to tear a healthy man apart from limb to limb, it could be a werewolf,” Dean states.

“Except it’s not,” Addison counters. She grabs the pen form Sam and lightly pokes the remains. “Fully intact heart. No werewolf is gonna leave that behind.”

“Thus I reiterate, what the hell is going on?”

The morgue doors open and they turn to see Sheriff Deitrich enter with a piece of paper in his hand. “Well, I wash hoping you folks could tell me. I just got a rush job back from the lab, from those fibers we found on the body. K-9, wolf hairs.”

The hunters exchange confused looks. None of them had any kind of explanation as to what was going on. “I’m getting a headache,” Dean announces.

* * *

Addison picks up a chicken fingers and dips it into some ketchup before taking a bite. With no theories or leads, the trio had moved over to the beer hall for some lunch. “I don’t know. It looks like we’ve stumbled onto a midnight showing of Dracula meets Wolfman. Is that it,” Dean asks.

“I don’t know, I mean, Wolfman seems real enough, makes Dracula seems a little less impossible, I guess,” Sam replies.

“Except for the whole werewolves growing wolf hair,” Addison argues.

“So, what? We’ve a - a vampire and a werewolf Monster Mashing this town,” Dean says as Jamie walk up to them.

The blond bartender sets a beer down in front of Dean. “Uh, looks like you guys are staying a while. I heard about Rick Deacon.”

“Yeah, this case just got weird enough for, uh, our department."

“Huh, well beers are on me,” Jamie tells him. She starts to leave, but stops and turns to Dean. “And just so you know, I get off at midnight tonight.”

“Oh, it’s not another girls night out?”

“Doesn’t have to be.”

“Okay then, I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay then.”

Dean watches as Jamie walks off. Sam shoots his older brother a smirk while Addison takes another bite of a chicken finger. There were times when she hated living twenty-four seven with two guys. “Hey, do you think this Dracula can turn into a bat,” Dean suddenly asks. Addison stares at him disbelief. “That’s be cool.” He takes a swig of beer and Addison snorts at the form mustache on his face.

* * *

Sam kneels down to examine the sarcophagus lid. Sheriff Deitrich had called them in on a break in and murder at a local museum. But when they had arrived, none of them had expected an open sarcophagus. Then he spots it. A small piece of paper in the corner. He scoffs. “The sarcophagus isn’t ancient. It’s from a prop house in Philly.”

“Well, it goes well with the bucket of dry ice he was keeping in it,” Dean says, holding up a small bucket.

Addison frowns. “So, the mummy has his own special effects team?”

“Yeah, a mummy with a good sense of showmanship.”

“This is stupid,” Sam comments.

Dean looks at his watch and his gaze widens. “Damn it. Jamie…I’m late. You’re good here with the mummy and the crazy?”

“Yeah…” Sam trails off as Dean runs out of the museum. He turns to Addison and she shrugs.

“He’s your brother,” Addison counters. She sighs. “I fee like the answers is staring us right in the face, but we’re just not seeing it for some reason.” She looks up at Sam. “Maybe it’s just some criminal who loves classic monster movies.”

Sam nods. “Then how do you explain the werewolf?”

“Uh, he dressed up in a costume and then used a dog.” Sam laughs and she glares at him. “Shut up. At least I have a theory.”

* * *

Addison shoves her hand into her hoodie pockets as she and Sam enter the beer house. They had been at the motel, getting ready to start researching when Dean had called them. They find Dean and Jamie sitting in a booth with a bottle of whiskey sitting on the table. “Hey,” Dean greets.

“You guys okay,” Addison asks, looking between them.

“Yeah, I think so. And I think I know what’s going on.” He pulls out a rag and drops it on the table. “Part of it at least.”

Sam opens the towel and he quickly looks away in disgust. Addison raises an eyebrow. “Uh, the ear part,” Sam questions.

“Ripped it off Dracula’s head. Touch it.” Sam laughs, but stops at the serious look on Dean’s face and tentatively touches the ear. “Feel familiar to you?”

Realization crosses Sam’s face. “Oh, man.”

“Skin of a shapeshifter. Just like St. Louis and just like Milwaukee. Of course this one’s a whole new bucket of crazy. Oh, and uh…” Dean pulls out a metal and drops it on the table. “This I, uh, pulled it off during the fight. Look at the label on the ribbon.”

Sam turns it over. A sticker was on the back with the same name of the store that the sarcophagus had come from. “It’s a costume rental.”

“All three monsters, the, uh, Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy, all the same critter which means we need to catch this freak before he creature from the black lagoon’s somebody.”

“So, you guys are like Mulder and Scully or something and the _X-Files_ are real,” Jamie asks, looking between them.

Dean chuckles. “No, the _X-Files_ is a TV show. This is real.”

Jamie nervously laughs. “Oh.”

“Okay, so the stagecraft, the costuming, it’s like he’s trying to reenact his favorite monster movie moments, right down to the bloody murders,” Sam reasons.

“Wait a second, who the hell is Mina,” Jamie asks.

Addison stares at her. “Mina?”

“Yeah, it’s what he called Jamie and he called me Mr. Harker,” Dean explains.

“Harker?” Dean stares at her and Addison sighs. “They’re characters from _Dracula_ , Dean. Mina is always the objects of Dracula’s desire, but she’s engaged to Harker. It kinda seems like he’s fixating on you, Jamie.”

Jamie pours herself a glass of whiskey. “Oh, lucky me.”

“But in order to do that, the shapeshifter has to have seen you or been around you.”

“Jamie, has anybody strange come to town, even anyone that’s taken a specific notice of you,” Dean questions.

Jamie sighs. “I don’t know, Dean. It’s Oktoberfest, I’m a bartender, there’s a lot of people…wait a second, there is Ed.”

“Ed Brewer, Ed,” Sam asks.

“Yeah, he moved here about a month ago. Lucy swears he has a crush on me. He comes in almost every night, but you know, I don’t know think he’s the type of guy—”

“Where does Ed live,” Dean interrupts.

“I don’t know. But he works at the old movie theater. I think he’s the projectionist there.”

Dean motions overs his shoulder, a knowing look on his face. “Take care of Mina,” Sam says and Dean nods.

Sam and Addison run out of the beer hall. It wasn’t hard to find the old movie theater in the small town. As they enter the theater, Addison pauses. The music that was playing was from _Phantom of the Opera_. Sam takes the left while she takes the right. She pulls out her gun from the back of her jeans as she slowly walk through the theater. A man was playing a piano behind the movie screen. She creeps around the screen.

Sam sneaks up behind Ed as she crosses the front of the stage. “Whoa, you FBI agents—”

“Shut up,” Sam says, pointing his gun at Ed.

Ed jumps and loos at him. He nods. “We know what you are,” Addison coldly says. “And what you did.”

Ed looks between them, terrified and confused. “I’m not anything. I just like to play the Casio.”

“Had time to grow the tear back, huh,” Sam taunts.

“What?” Sam grabs Ed’s ear and pulls on it causing Ed to scream in pain. “Owe! Owe! Ouch!”

Sam stops. “It’s supposed to come off—”

“No, it’s not!”

Addison quickly puts her gun and awkwardly smiles at Ed. “So… _Phantom of the Opera_. Cool. Know anything from _Les Miserables_?”

* * *

Sam shoots Addison a disbelieving look as they walks back into the beer hall. “Know anything from  _Les Miserables_ ,” he playfully mocks.

Addison rolls her eyes and looks around the beer hall. Dean and Jamie were no where to be seen. She lets out a sigh and pulls out her iPhone before dialing him. “Dean, the shifter isn’t Ed. But since you’re not here, we’re gonna assume that you went home with Jamie. So, call us.”

Sam frowns seeing three glasses on the table that Dean and Jamie had been sitting at. A broken bottle was on the floor. He picks up a napkin and stares. “Lucy.”

“Who’s Lucy?”

He turns to see Addison standing behind him. “The other bartender. She’s the shifter.”

Addison nods. “Okay. We still don’t know where she lives or anything.”

* * *

It had been fairly easy for them to break into the beer hall’s office and look at the employee records to find an address for Lucy. And it hadn’t taken them long to find the two story house in a suburban neighborhood not that far from the beer hall. Sam picks open the lock and the two of them slip into the house. Addison holds her gun in front of her while she searches the house and Sam does the same. “Ads.” She turns and sees him standing by a door. They walk down the stairs and Addison stares.

The room they were in looked extremely similar to the lab from _Frankenstein._ “Oh, thank God, just in the nick of time,” Dean says. Addison turns and smirks as Sam goes to free his brother. “Guy was about to Frankenstein me.”

“So, uh, where’s Gretel, Hansel,” Addison amusedly asks after Dean climbs off the lab table.

Dean glares. “Shut up!”

Sam pulls a knife out of his back pocket and hands it to Dean. They search the rooms until they find a set of heavy wooden doors. Dean motions for Sam to go ahead of him. Sam kicks down the door, only to his foot to get stuck in the cardboard. Addison snorts as Sam looks back at them. He pulls his foot free. “Let’s go.”

They find another prop door and pull it open. A bed was towards the back of the room with a table to the right. Jamie was lying in the bed, unconscious. Sam starts towards her when the shapeshifter appears and throws him through a fake wall. “You will never win, Van Helsing,” the shapeshifter proclaims. Addison runs over to Jamie as Dean runs at the shapeshifter from behind. He goes to punch the shapeshifter, but the shapeshifter grabs his arm and punches Dean. “And you, Harker, now you die.”

Dean rams his knee into the shapeshifter’s stomach. “How about you shut the hell up.” He spots Sam’s gun on the floor and starts towards it, but the shapeshifter throws him onto the ground. 

Addison touches Jamie’s neck and finds a pulse. She turns to see the shapeshifter moving toward Dean, who was lying on the ground. She pulls out her gun and fires three shots. The shapeshifter looks down at his chest as blood drips out. “Silver?” The shapeshifter turns to Addison. Jamie was sitting up on the bed, staring in disbelief. “No, Mina, don’t weep. Perhaps this is how the movie should end,” the shapeshifter dramatically says, falling into a chair. Dean stands up as Addison moves over to check on Sam. He shrugs and grins at Jamie.

* * *

Sam watches as Addison delves into the funnel cake. He laughs when powder sugar lands on her lips. She pays him no attention and breaks off another piece. They reach Dean as Jamie leaves and he looks at them with a grin. “Feels good to be back on the job, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does,” Sam replies.

“The hero gets the girl, the monster gets the gank. All in all? Happy ending with a happy ending no less.”

“Except that you didn’t actually kill the monster,” Addison reminds.

Dean shrugs. “Details don’t matter.”

Sam shakes his head as Dean wipes his mouth. “Real classy, Dean.”

“Hey, all I’m saying is the shifter may have had a point, you know? It’d be nice if — if life was movie simple. Although if I was turning life into a movie, I wouldn’t do this Abbot and Costello meet the monster shit.”

“Yeah, no, I know what you’d pick.”

Dean laughs. “No, you don’t."

“Yeah, I do.”

“No, you don’t. You don’t.”

“Porky’s Two.”

Dean looks at his younger brother, shocked. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“Lucky guess.”

“Either way, you’re both Giles and Wesley without the accents,” Addison says. The brothers stare at her. She smiles at them and walks away. Sam chuckles and follows after her. A thoughtful look crosses Dean’s face as he goes after them.


	5. Yellow Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Addison silently watches as the coroner unzips the body bag. “Agent Tyler, Agent Perry, Agent Hamilton,” the coroner says. “Meet Frank O’Brien.” Frank O’Brien was a middle aged man who had recently died like two other men and his death sent up red flags for the trio.

“He died of a heart attack, right,” Sam questions.

The coroner nods. “Three days ago.”

Sam opens the folder in his hands. “But O’Brien was forty-four years old and according to this a marathon runner.”

“Everybody drops dead sooner or later. It’s why I got job security.”

“Yeah, but Frank kicked it here,” Dean states. “Now, just yesterday, two perfectly healthy men bit it in Maumee. All heart attacks. You don’t think that’s strange?”

“Sounds like Maumee’s problem to me. Why’s the FBI give a damn anyway?”

“We’d just like to see the results from Mr. O’Brien’s autopsy,” Addison says.

“What autopsy?”

Dean stares at the coroner. “The one you’re gonna do.”

Twenty minutes later, they’re wearing yellow surgical gowns over their suits and gloves. The coroner picks up the scalpel and cuts into Franks’s body. He glances at up them. Addison had a slightly queasy look on her face. “First dead body?”

“Far from it,” Dean answers.

“Oh, good. Because these suckers can get pretty ripe. Hey, uh, hand me those rib cutters, would you?”

Addison picks up the rib cutters and hands them to the coroner. She notices a tan line on the ring finger on Frank’s left hand. “I thought Mr. O’Brien wasn’t married,” she says, motioning to Frank’s finger.

“Ain’t my department.”

Sam holds up an arm. Scratches ran along Frank’s arm. “Any idea how he got these?”

The coroner doesn’t look up from examining Frank’s heart. “You know what? When you drop dead, you actually tend to drop. Body probably got scraped up when it hit the ground. Huh.”

“What?”

“Well, I can’t find any blockages in any major arteries.” The coroner takes out Frank’s heart and holds it up. Addison quickly looks away and takes a deep breath. She pays no attention as Dean does the same. He turns back, a forced smile on his face. “Heart looks pretty damn healthy.” The coroner shoves the heart into Dean’s hands. “Hold that a second, would you?” Addison bites her lip as her stomach churns. Dean stares at the heart while Sam looks at him, amused. Suddenly, there’s a squishy noise and blood splashes onto Sam’s face. “Oh, sorry. Spleen juice.” Addison stands there for a moment, then turns and runs over to the nearest trashcan where she throws up.

* * *

Sam shoots Addison a concerned look as they sit in the waiting area of the local police station. She shifts in her seat, ignoring him. Dean just smirks and she glares at him. They watch as an officer, who was no older than Sam, stuffs envelopes. A door suddenly opens and they turn to see a middle aged man wearing a sheriff’s uniform walk out. “Hell’s bells, Linus, have you seen my…” The trio stands up and smile at the Sheriff. “Who are they?”

“Federal agents,” Linus answers. “I, uh—”

“And you kept them waiting?”

“You said not to disturb.”

“Come on back,” the Sheriff says. They walk over to his office, but the Sheriff stops them from entering at the last minute. “Shoes off.” They exchange looks, but take off their shoes. Addison steps out of her four inch heels and she suddenly felt extremely tiny next to the boys. They enter the office and the Sheriff shuts the door. “Al Britton. Good to meet you.” They each shake his hand.

“You too,” Sam replies. Al motions to the chairs in front of his in front of his desk. Dean and Addison sit down while Sam stands behind her. “Thank you.”

Addison raises an eyebrow as Al rubs hand sanitizer on his hands. “So, what can I do for Uncle Sam,” Al asks, looking between the three of them.

“We’re looking into the death of Frank O’Brien,” Addison tells him. “And we read that some of your men found his body.”

A sad look appears on Al’s face. “They did. Me and Frank…we were friends. Hell, we were Gamecocks.” Dean chuckles, but quickly stops at the glares from Addison and Al. “That’s our softball team’s name.” Dean nods. “They’re majestic animals. I knew Frank since high school. To be honest, I just this morning got the strength to go see him. Frank was…he was a good man.”

“Yeah. Big heart,” Dean comments. Addison shoots him a glare while Sam frowns.

“Before he died, did you notice Frank acting strange? Maybe scared of something,” Sam questions.

“Oh, hell yeah. Real jumpy.”

“You know what scared him?”

“No. Wouldn’t answer his phone. Finally, I sent some of my boys over to check on him and well…you know the rest.”

Al coughs and grabs the hand sanitizer. Dean stars at him, then looks to Sam and Addison, who had unamused looks on their faces. “What,” he mouths.

“So, why the feds give a crap? You don’t really think there’s a case here,” Al asks, looking between the three of them.

“No,” Addison replies.

"No. It's, uh, it's probably nothing. Just a heart attack," Dean tells him. "Thanks for you time." Al nods and they walk out of his office. Sam places his hand on Addison's back as they walk down the street towards the Impala. "No way that was a heart attack."

"Definitely no way. Three victims, all with those same red scratches, all went from jittery to terrified to dead within forty-eight hours," Sam says.

Dean frowns. “Something scared them to death?"

“All right, so, what can do that?"

"A big long list of big bads," Addison replies. "I mean, there's ghosts, vampires, chupacabras. It goes goes on and on."

"Yeah. So, we make a list and start crossing things off."

Dean nods. “All right, who's the last person to see Frank O'Brien alive?"

"His neighbor, Mark Hutchins," Addison tells him.

Dean stops. "Hang on, hang on, hey."

"What," Sam asks, as he and Addison stop.

"I don't like the looks of those teenagers down there." Sam and Addison turn to see a group of teenage boys by the Impala. To her, they didn't seem dangerous. "Let's walk this way." Sam shoots Addison a confused look and she shrugs.

* * *

Addison nervously glances around the apartment of Mark Hutchins. Aquariums were spread around the living room and while the frogs or lizards didn't bother her, the ones with snakes and spiders did. "Tyler, Perry, and Hamilton," Mark says causing Addison to look at him. She eyes the snake around his shoulders. "Just like Aerosmith."

"Yeah, small world. So, the last time you saw Frank O'Brien," Sam asks.

"Monday. He was watching me from his window." Mark motions to the window on his right side and they glance it. "I waved at him, but he just closed the curtains."

"Did you speak to him before his death," Addison questions, forcefully smiling. "I mean, did he seem different? Or scared?"

"Oh, totally. He was freaking out."

"Do you know, uh, do you know what scared him," Dean asks, looking around with uneasiness.

"Well, yeah. Witches."

"Witches," Sam repeats. "Like..."

"Well,  _Wizard of Oz_  was on TV the other night, right? And he said that green bitch was totally out to get him."

The trio exchange disbelieving looks. "Anything else scare him," Sam continues.

"Everything else scared. Al-Qaida, ferrets, artificial sweetener. Those Pez dispensers with their dead little eyes. Lots of stuff."

"So, uh, can you tell us what Frank was like," Addison asks. A hiss comes from a snake and she tightly grips Sam's hand.

"I mean, he's dead, you know? I, ah, I don't want to hammer him, but...he got better."

"Better?"

"Well, in high school he was...he was a dick."

Addison blinks. "A dick?"

"Like a bully. I mean, he probably taped half the town's butt cheeks together. Mine included."

Dean clears his throat and nods. "So, he pissed a lot of people off. You think anyone would have wanted to get revenge?"

"Well, I don't..." Mark looks between the three of them. "Frank had a heart attack, right?"

"Just answer the question, sir," Sam tells him.

"No. I don't think so. Like I said, he got better. And after what happened to his wife."

"His wife," Dean questions. "So, he was married?"

"She died about twenty years ago. Frank was really broken up about it." Mark notices Addison and Dean staring at the snake around his shoulders. He laughs. "Don't be scared of Donny. He's a sweetheart. It's Marie you got to look out for. She smells fear."

Addison turns her and her gazes widens as a large yellow snake slowly slithers down the couch between her and Dean. She scoots as far as she can away from Dean as the snake slithers over him. Dean had a terrified look on his face. Sam looks between the two of them and sighs.

* * *

"Since when are you scared of snakes," Sam asks as he and Addison walk to meet up with Dean. They had gone to search Frank's apartment while Dean was tasked with visiting the county clerk's office.

"I've always been scared of snakes," Addison replies. "It's...we've never run into snakes on jobs before. Besides, my fear of snakes and spiders makes more sense than you being scared of clowns."

Sam frowns. "Addison, clowns kill."

"And big ass snakes can eat you in one bite, Sam. I mean, have you seen those pictures from Australia where the python eats alligator,” Addison counters as they reach the Impala. They climb into the Impala and see Dean look over some papers. He jumps and looks at them. "Any luck at the county clerk's office?"

"I'm not sure I'd call it luck," Dean responds, handing the papers to Sam. Addison leans forward and looks over his shoulder. "Frank's wife, Jessie, was a manic depressive. She went off her meds back in '88 and vanished. They found her two weeks later, three towns over, strung up in her motel room. Suicide."

"Any chance Frank helped her along to the other side," Sam asks.

"No. Frank was working the swing shift when she disappeared. Airtight alibi." Dean starts the Impala and they drive slowly down the road. "How was Frank's pad?”

"Clean. Searched it top to bottom. No EMF, no hex bags, no sulfur."

"So, probably no ghosts, no witches, no demons. Three down and ninety-seven to go."

Addison glances between Dean and speedometer. "Dean, you're going twenty," she points out.

"And?"

"It's the speed limit. And you always go like twenty over the speed limit."

"What? Safety's a crime now?"

Sam frowns as they drive past the motel. "Dude, where are you going? That was our hotel."

"Sam, I'm not gonna make a left hand turn into oncoming traffic. I'm not suicidal." Addison stares at Dean. Suddenly a beeping comes from her pocket and she pulls out the EMF meter. It was lit up. "Did I just say that? That was kind of weird." She holds up the EMF meter by Dean and it beeps louder. Addison moves it towards Sam and it goes silent. "Am I haunted? Am I haunted?!"

* * *

Addison stares as she and Sam near the Impala. Loud music was coming from it. She walks over and laughs when she sees Dean air drumming along to 'Eye of the Tiger'. Sam hangs up his phone and taps the roof of the Impala. Dean lets out a small scream and jumps. He turns off the music and climbs out of the Impala. "Look at this," he says, holding out his right arm. Three red scratches ran along his forearm.

"I just talked to Bobby," Sam says.

"And?"

"Um, well, you're not gonna like it."

Dean grabs the box of doughnuts out of Addison's hands and she stares as he sniffs the box before tossing it on the front seat. He stares back them. "What?"

Sam blinks. "It's ghost sickness."

"Ghost sickness?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, God, no."

Addison smirks. "Yeah."

"I don't even know what that is."

"Well, there are some cultures that believe some spirits can infect the living with diseases. It's why they stopped displaying bodies in houses and started displaying them in funeral homes," Addison explains.

"Okay, get to the good stuff."

"Symptoms are you get anxious and scared, then really scared, then your heart gives out," Sam continues. "Sound familiar?"

"Yeah but, Sam, we haven't seen a ghost in weeks."

"Well, I doubt you caught it from a ghost. Look, once a spirit infects that first person, ghost sickness can spread like any sickness through a cough, a handshake, whatever. It's like the flu. Now, Frank O'Brian was the first to die, which means he was probably the first infected. Patient zero."

"Our very own outbreak monkey."

"Get this. Frank was in Maumee over the weekend for a softball tournament. And it's probably where he infected the other two victims," Addison says.

"Were they Gamecocks?"

"Cornjerkers."

"So, ghost infected Frank, he passed it on to the other guys and I got it from his corpse?"

"Yep."

"So, now what? I have forty-eight hours before I go insane and my heart stops?

"More like twenty-four," Sam tells him.

"Super."

"Yeah."

"Well, why me? Why not you too? I mean, Sam, you got hit with the spleen juice."

"Yeah, um...you see, Bobby and I have a theory about that too. Turns out all three victims shared a certain, uh, personality type. Frank was a bully. The other two victims: one was a vice principal, the other was a bouncer."

Dean stares at them. "Okay."

"They were all dicks," Addison says, smirking.

Dean glares at her. "So, you're saying I'm a dick?"

"Just a little."

Sam sighs. "No. Dean, it's just not that. All three victims used fear as a weapon and now this disease is just returning the favor."

"I don't scare people," Dean argues.

"Dean, all we do is scare people."

"Okay, well, then you're both dicks too."

"Apparently we're not," Addison replies.

Dean sighs. "Whatever. How do we stop it?"

"We gank the ghost that started all this. We do that, the disease should clear up."

"You thinking Frank's wife?"

Sam shrugs. "Who knows why she killed herself, you know? Hey, what are you doing waiting out here anyway?"

Dean glances between them and the top of the motel room. "Our room's on the fourth floor." Addison snorts in amusement. "It's...it's high."

Sam scoffs. "I'll see if I can move us down to the first."

Dean lets out a relived sigh. "Thanks."

"Sure," Sam tells him, then walks to the motel office.

Addison shakes her head and leans in the Impala to get the doughnuts. Dean's gaze sweeps over her. "Stop staring at my ass," she says, pulling back with the box in hand. He frowns as she opens the box and eats one. She rolls her eyes.

* * *

A loud crash causes Addison to jump and turn to the bathroom door. She quickly pulls on her clothes before running out of the room. Dean was opening a beer and the clock that had been on the desk was laying on the floor. "Are you okay, she asks.

"Peachy," Dean replies, sitting down on the couch. Addison watches as he starts to scratch his arm and disappears back into the bathroom. She reemerges with a small black bag. She sits on the couch and grabs his arm. He jumps when she pours a pink liquid on his arm. "What the hell, Ads!"

"It's calamine lotion. It'll help with the itching." He shrugs and takes a swig of his beer. She places a comforting hand on his shoulder and he turns to her. "Dean, everything will be okay." Addison grabs a beer out of the mini fridge and sits back down next to him. He lays his arm on the back of the couch and she pats his thigh as she leans back. Neither of them say anything as they watch a rerun of  _Dr. Sexy._

The door opens and Addison glances to see Sam with a couple of bags from a convenience store. He looks at the broken clock on the floor. "Everything alright," he asks, putting the bags down on the table.

"Dean had a disagreement with the clock," Addison answers, shooting him a smile.

Dean takes another swig of beer. "Find anything?"

"Yeah," Sam replies, walking over to the couch. He sits down on the coffee table. "Jessie O'Brien's body was cremated, so I'm pretty sure she's not our ghost."

Addison frowns as Dean starts scratching his arm. She smacks his hand. "Stop it. You're just going to make it worse."

"How you feeling?"

Dean forces a smile. "Awesome. It's nice to have my head on the chopping block again. I almost forgot what that feels like." He coughs and drinks of some beer. "It's freaking delightful."

"We'll keep looking," Sam reassures. Dean coughs, harder this time.

Addison frowns as he leans forward. "Dean, you okay," she asks, concerned. He continues coughing, but it's only worse. He gasps for air and stands up. They quickly follow him into the bathroom. "Sam, do that thing people do when people are choking."

A clank gets their attention and they turn to see Dean holding up a small object. He rinses it off and they realize it's a wood chip. "What the fuck," Dean asks.

"We've been completely ignoring the biggest clue we have," Sam says. "You."

Dean pouts. "I don't want to be a clue."

Addison rolls her eyes. "Too bad, Dean."

"The abrasions. This. The — the disease, it's trying to tell us something," Sam continues.

"Tell us what? Wood chips," Dean disbelievingly asks.

Sam smiles. "Exactly."

* * *

Addison looks up at the lumber mill as she pulls her hair into a ponytail. It had obviously been shut down for a long time. "I'm not going in there," Dean announces. He turns to them with a worried look on his face.

She glances at Sam and sees a tired look on his face. "Okay," Addison says, moving around to the Impala's trunk. "Then you can stay out here. All alone." Dean stares at her for a moment, then he leans in and grabs a bottle of whiskey.

Dean takes a gulp and joins them by the trunk. "Let's do this." He puts the keys in the trunk and looks around, nervous. "It's a little spooky, isn't it?" Sam shoots him an annoyed look and opens the trunk. Addison takes her gun and shoves in the back of her jeans as Sam grabs a sawed off shot gun. She grabs Dean's gun and holds it out to him. "Oh, I'm not carrying that. It could go off." Addison shrugs and sets his gun down. Dean reaches in and grabs the flashlight. She stares at he holds it against his chest, clenching it with both hands. "I'll man the flashlight."

Sam forces a smile. "You do that."

Dean smiles. Sam and Addison start to walk into the lumber mill. Addison stumbles when something grabs the back of her leather jacket. She looks over her shoulder and sees Dean tightly holding on. Her gaze goes between his hand and his face. He just smiles at her. Addison rolls her eyes and continues to the mill.

Dean shines the flashlight around the dark, abandoned mill while keeping ahold of Addison's jacket. The EMF meter starts beeping and Sam pulls it out of his pocket. "EMF's not gonna work with me around, is it," Dean asks, looking guilty.

Addison scoffs. "No. Really."

Sam turns it off and shoves it back into his pocket. "Come on," he says, holding his shotgun in front of him. Something glinting on the ground get his attention and he kneels down. Dean squeaks and nervously looks around. Addison slams a hand over Dean's mouth as she pulls out her gun. Sam picks up the object, a wedding ring. "'To Frank - Love, Jessie.' Frank O'Brien's ring."

"What was Frank doing here," Addison asks, aloud.

"No idea." Sam pockets the ring and they continue inspecting the mill. A noise comes from a room and they slowly enter. The noise comes from a locker. Dean shines the light on the locker. Addison holds up her gun, ready. "On three." They nod. "One. Two. Three." Sam throws open the locker and a cat hisses at them.

Dean screams, loudly. The cat jumps out and runs out of the room. Addison and Sam look at Dean with disbelieving look. He takes deep breaths and smiles at them. "That was scary."

Sam turns and walks out of the room. Addison smirks at Dean. "Scared of a little pussy?" She sniggers and walks out of the room. She stumbles when Dean clutches the back of her jacket. Addison rolls her and follows Sam into another room. Papers were on a table and the floor. A desk was in the corner. Sam sets his shot gun on the table and Addison puts her gun away. She slaps Dean's hand off her jacket. "Be a big boy, Dean."

Dean nervously enters the room after them. Sam picks up a security card off the card. "Luther Garland."

Addison flips through the papers on the desk. They were drawings of a woman. She glances to her left when Dean joins her. "Hey, this is, uh..." Dean pauses as he pulls out a piece of paper. A picture of the woman in the drawings was on the paper. "This is Frank's wife."

"Plot thickens," Sam comments, walking over to them.

"Yeah but into what?"

"Torrid love affair. Love triangle. Unrequited love," Addison lists, ripping the drawing off the desk. Dean jumps as the sounds of machinery echo around them. Sam grabs his gun and Addison pulls hers back out. Her and Sam look through more papers on the desk. Addison turns to Dean and sees him staring at a man in the corner. She hits Sam on the arm and he turns.

Sam raises the shot gun and steps forward. "Hey!" Doors swinging cause them to turn and see Dean running down the hallway. The man in the corner turns to him. He was near the same height of Sam and wore a dark blue uniform. Cuts were his face and bald head. He starts to charge at them, but Sam easily shoots him.

Addison puts her gun up as they make their way out of the lumber mill. She stares at Dean, who was sitting behind the Impala, drowning the rest of the whiskey. "Well, at least we got the right place," she comments.

* * *

After a quick stop at the motel to change into their suits, the trio heads to the police station. While Sam and Addison waited by the counter for Linus to return, Dean was sitting in a chair, looking around. Linus walks out of a back room and hands Sam a file. "This is the Garland file," he says.

"Thanks," Sam replies, opening the file. Addison looks over and sees a picture of the man from the lumber mill

Neither of them notice Linus examining Dean. "Is he...drunk?"

They turn to Dean, who smiles and gives them a thumbs up. Addison sighs. "No," she replies. "Through it does appear that he might have taken one to many Xanax this morning."

Sam shakes his head and turns back to the case file. "Deputy, according to this Luther Garland's cause of death was physical trauma. What does that mean?"

Linus shrugs. "The guy died twenty years ago - before my time. Sorry."

"How about the sheriff," Addison asks.

Linus glances at the sheriff's office. "Um, he's out sick today."

"Well, if you see him, will you have him call us," Sam tells him. "We're staying at the Blue Bird. Mind if I take this?"

As they walk out of the police station, Addison frowns. Dean was still in the habit of grabbing the back of her jacket, but she couldn't feel him pulling her blazer. She looks behind her, then sighs. "Sam." He stops looks at her. "You want to get him or should I?" Sam sighs and makes his way back into the station. She can't but laugh when Sam comes out, pulling Dean by his collar.

* * *

Addison smiles at the older woman walking down the hallway of a local assisted living home with an IV. Dean stumbles into the wall and Addison rolls her eyes. Sam grabs his brother's arm and they continue down the hallway. "This isn't gonna work. Come on, these badges are fake. What if we get busted? We could go to jail."

Addison looks at Sam and motions for him to take the lead. He stops and turns to Dean. "Dean, shhh. Calm down. Deep breath, okay?" He takes a deep breath and lets it out while Dean does the same. "There. You feel better?" Dean shakes his head. "Just come on."

Dean starts to scratch his arm and Addison swats him. "No. Bad Dean," she says. An orderly smiles as he walks past them and Dean immediately grabs the back of Addison's blazer. She takes a deep breath and lets it out.

They follow Sam to the recreation area of the home and a middle aged man sitting at a table by himself. "Mr. Garland," Sam asks and the man looks up at them. "Hi. Um, I'm Agent Tyler. This is Agent Perry and Agent Hamilton. FBI. We'd like to ask you a few questions about your brother Luther."

Mr. Garland stares at them. "Let me see some ID."

"Certainly."

They hand over their fake badges and Mr. Garland examines them. Dean had a nervous look on his face. "Those are real," he comments. "Obviously." Sam clears his throat and sends Dean a look. "Who would pretend to be an FBI agent, huh? That's just nutty."

Addison jams her heel into Dean's foot. The big smile on his face is replaced with one of pain. She just shoots Mr. Garland a smile. Mr. Garland hands them back their IDs. "What do you want to know," he asks them.

Sam sits down at the table and holds up the police file. Dean sits down next to him while Addison remains standing. "Uh, well, according to this, your brother Luther died of physical trauma." Mr. Garland scoffs. "You don't agree?"

"No, I don't."

"What would you call it, Mr. Garland," Addison questions.

"Don't matter what an old man thinks."

"Mr. Garland. We're just trying to get the truth on your brother," Sam says. "Please."

Mr. Garland stares at him for a moment, then grabs a picture of a security guard that was sitting in the file. "Everybody was scared of Luther. They called him a monster. He was too big, too mean looking. Just too different. Didn't matter he was the kindest man I ever knew. Didn't matter he'd never hurt no one. A lot of people failed Luther. I was one of them. I was a widower with three young ones and I told myself there was nothing I could do."

Sam sifts through the file and pulls out the picture Addison had taken from the mill. "Mr. Garland, um, do you recognize this woman?"

"It's Jessie O'Brien. Her man, Frank, killed Luther."

"How do you know," Addison softly asks.

"Everybody knows. They just don't talk about it. Jessie was a receptionist at the mill. She was always real nice to Luther and he had a crush on her. But Frank didn't like it. And when Jessie went missing...Frank was sure that Luther had done something to her. Turns out the old gal killed herself but Frank didn't know that. They found Luther with a chain wrapped around his neck. He was dragged up and down the stretch outside that plant till he was past dead."

"And Frank O'Brien was never arrested?"

"I screamed to every cop in town, they didn't want to look into Frank. He was a pillar of the community, my brother was just the town freak."

"You must've hated Frank O'Brien," Sam says.

"I did for a long time but...life's too short for hate, son. And Frank wasn't thinking straight. His wife had vanished. He was terrified. A damn shame he had to put Luther through the same, but...that's fear. It spreads and spreads."

Addison nods. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Garland."

Dean holds up his arm with the scratches as they walk out of the assisted living home. "Now, I know what these are - road rash. And I'm guessing Luther swallowed some wood chips when he was being dragged down that road."

"Makes sense," Sam replies, loosening his tie. "You're experiencing his death in slow motion."

"Yeah, well, not slow enough, huh? I say we burn some bones and get me healthy."

Addison sighs as they reach the Impala. "It's not gonna be that easy, Dean."

Dean looks at her, then at Sam. "No, no. It'll be that easy. Why wouldn't it be that easy, Ads?"

"Because Luther was dragged along that road. He was ripped to pieces. So...we're not gonna be able to find all of his remains."

Dean leans against the Impala and stares at her. "You're kidding me."

"Look, we'll just have to figure something else out," Sam reassures.

"You know what? Fuck this."

Sam walks over to him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dean. Come on."

"No, I mean, come on, Sam. What are we doing?"

"We're hunting a ghost."

"A ghost. Exactly. Who does that?"

"Us."

"Us. Right. And that, Sam, that is exactly why our lives suck. I mean, come on. We hunt monsters. What the hell! I mean, normal people, they see a monster and they run. But not us. No, no, no. We - we search out things that want to kill us us. Yeah? Huh? Or eat us! You know who does that? Crazy people! We are insane! You know, and then there's the - the - the bad diner food and then the - the skeevy motel rooms and then the truck stop waitress with the bizarre rash. I mean, who wants this life? Huh? Seriously? I mean, do you actually like being stuck in a car with me eight hours a day, every single day? I don't think so! I mean, I drive too fast and I listen to the same five albums over and over and over again and - and I sing along. I'm annoying. I know that. And you...Sam, you're gassy! You eat half a burrito and you get toxic. And Addison...you're a horrible driver! I let you drive once and you nearly crashed. I mean, you know what?" Dean tosses the Impala's keys to Sam. "You can forget it."

"Whoa, Dean. Where are you going?"

"Stay away from me, Sam, okay? Cause I am done with it. I'm done with the monsters and - and - and the - the hellhounds and the ghost sickness and the damn apocalypse. I'm out. I'm done. I quit."

Stunned, they watch as Dean walks away. Sam lets out an annoyed sigh and turns to Addison. She shrugs. "He's right. You need to stay away from burritos...and Taco Bell in general." He shoots her a look with mixture of annoyance and anger. She throws her hands up. "What do you want me to do, Sam? Because nothing we say or do is gonna make Dean feel better. The only thing that will is killing the ghost."

Sam sighs and looks around before meeting her gaze. "Yeah, I know. Let's drive around. See if we can find him." Addison nods and they climb into the Impala. "When did you almost crash the Impala?"

She turns to him. "It was when you were at Stanford. Beside I was...distracted at the time.”

* * *

Sam glances at Addison. She was laying on the hood of the Impala with an arm covering her face. They had left Dean back at the motel room while they had went to meet with Bobby and form a plan to deal with the ghost. A car pulls up and he turns to watch Bobby climb out of the car. "Howdy, Sam, Addison," Bobby greets.

Sam smiles at him. "Hey, Bobby. Thanks for coming up so quick."

Bobby leans against the hood of the Impala on the other side of Addison. "Where's Dean?"

"Home sick," Addison answers. Her and Sam had found Dean the night before in the motel room, having a hallucination. And it worried both of them.

"So, have his hallucinations started yet?"

"Yeah, a few hours ago," Sam answers.

"How we doing on time?"

"We saw the coroner about eight am Monday morning, so, uh..." Sam looks at his watch. "Just under two hours. What about you? You find anything?"

Bobby pulls an old, small book out of his jacket and hands it to Sam. "This, uh, encyclopedia of spirits dates to the edo period."

Addison sits up and looks over Sam's shoulder. "It's in Japanese," she points out. She raises an eyebrow when Bobby says something in Japanese. "Show off."

"Anyway, this book lists a kind of ghost that could be our guy. It, uh, infects people with fear. It's called a Buru Buru."

"It say how to kill it," Sam asks.

"Same as usual. Burn the remains."

"Wonderful. Uh, is there a plan 'B?'"

"Well, the Buru Buru is born of fear. Hell, it is fear. And the lore says we can kill it with fear."

"We have to scare a ghost to death," Addison disbelievingly asks.

Bobby nods. "Pretty much."

"How the hell we gonna do that," Sam asks after a moment.

* * *

Addison silently loads up a shotgun as Sam talks to Dean on the phone. While she was a little skeptical of his plan, she did think it could work. Sam hangs up and Addison hands him a shotgun. "This is a terrible plan," Bobby comments.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Sam replies.

"I know I said 'scare the ghost to death' but this?"

Addison shrugs. "You got a better idea?" Bobby slams the trunk of the Impala closed. She takes deep breath and walks with Sam into the lumber mill. They silently search the mill for Luther, but don't find him.

"Any luck," Bobby's voice says over Sam's phone.

Sam pulls his phone as he and Addison enter the office. "I don't know what's wrong, Bobby. Last time he came right at us. It's almost like he's, uh...like he's scared."

"So, now what?"

Addison walks over to a desk and picks up a drawing. "We piss him off," she says, then rips the picture. They look around when machinery starts. Sam walks out of the room. She picks up another drawing and rips it. "Oh, Luther! Come on out, you big giant oaf!" Addison continues ripping the drawings. "Are you scared of little ole me?"

Addison turns around and takes a step back. Luther picks her up the collar of her jacket and throws her across the room. She groans and starts crawling towards the door when he grabs her boot and pulls her back. She rolls onto her back and delivers a swift kick to his head. "Sam," Addison yells. Luther picks her up and slams her onto the ground. "Sam, anytime now!"

Luther continues slamming Addison into the ground. Sam runs into the room and picks up the chain hidden on the floor. He quickly wraps it around Luther's neck and the ghost claws at it. "Bobby, punch it," Sam shouts. They watch as Luther is dragged out of the room.

Sam helps Addison up as the mill grows quiet. "Next time you get to be bait."

* * *

Addison takes the beer that Dean holds out and leans against the Impala next to Sam. Bobby was leaning against his own car. "So, you guys road hauled a ghost with a chain," Dean asks, looking between the three of them.

"Iron chain etched with spell work," Sam replies, motioning to Bobby.

Dean takes a swig of beer. "Hmm. Now that's a new one."

"It was what he was most afraid of. It was pretty brutal though."

"On the upside, I'm still alive so, uh, go team."

Addison nods. "How do you feel?"

"Fine."

"You sure, Dean," Bobby questions. "Cause this line of work can get awful scary."

"I'm fine." They shoot him disbelieving look. "Hey, you wanna go hunting? I'll hunt. I'll kill anything."

"Aww," Sam mocks.

Bobby smiles. "He's adorable."

Addison smirks. "Yeah. Until he's all like 'Addison save me from the big scary ghost.'" Dean shoots her an unamused look and drinks his beer while Sam just laughs.

"I gotta get out of here. You three drive safe," Bobby announces. He waves at them and climbs into his car before driving off.

"So, uh, so, what did you see? Near the end I mean," Sam asks, turning to his brother.

"Oh, besides a cop beating my ass," Dean replies.

"Seriously."

Addison watches as Dean looks away. "Howler monkeys," he finally answers. "The whole room full of 'em. Those things creep the hell out of me."

Sam takes a swig of beer. "Right."

"No, no. Just the usual stuff, Sammy. Nothing I couldn't handle."

Addison sighs and drinks her beer. She knew Dean was lying. And so did Sam. But she also knew that Dean wouldn't talk about what ever was bothering him until he was ready. So, Addison was more than content with waiting, because she wasn't sure that she wanted to know.


	6. It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Addison sadly smiles as Mrs. Wallace tells the story of her husband had died. The story of her husband's death had been front page news since it was so close to Halloween. "How many razor blades did they find," she questions.

Mrs. Wallace sighs. It was obvious that the woman was close to breaking down. "Two on the floor, one in his stomach, and one was stuck in his throat. He swallowed four of them. How is that even possible." Mrs. Wallace notices Dean looking inside the over. "The candy was never in the oven."

Dean slams the door shut. "We just have to be thorough, Mrs. Wallace."

"Did the police find any razors in the rest of the candy," Sam asks.

"No. I mean, I don't think so," Mrs. Wallace answers. Sam watches as Dean examines the refrigerator. "I just - I can't believe it. You hear urban legends about this stuff, but it never actually happens."

"It happens more than you think," Addison tells her.

Dean pulls a hex bag out from under the refrigerator and holds it up for Sam to see. "Mrs. Wallace, did Luke have any enemies," Sam questions.

"Enemies," Mrs. Wallace disbelievingly asks.

"Anyone who might have held a grudge against him?"

"What do you mean?"

"Coworkers? Neighbors? Maybe a woman."

"Are you suggesting an affair?"

"Is it possible?"

"No! No, Luke would never-"

"I'm very sorry. We just have to consider all possibilities."

"If someone wanted to kill my husband don't you think they'd find a better way than a razor in a piece of candy he might eat," Mrs. Wallace counters, looking between the three fake agents in front of her.

* * *

Sam looks up from his laptop when Dean enters the motel room alone. Addison was sitting on the floor with her own laptop on the coffee table. Through she pays no attention to Dean. Sam watches as his brother unwraps a piece of candy and eats it. "Really? After that guy choked down all those razor blades?"

"It's Halloween, man," Dean replies.

Sam sighs. "Yeah, for us every day is Halloween."

Dean shrugs, sitting down on the couch next to Sam. He puts his feet on the coffee table. Addison shoots him an annoyed look as he pulls another piece of candy out of his pocket. "Don't be a downer. Anything interesting?"

"Well, we're on a witch hunt, that's for sure. But this isn't your typical hex bag."

"No?"

Sam picks up a dried flower. "Goldthread, an herb that's been extinct for two hundred years."

Addison holds up an old coin. "This coin is circa thirteenth century. I can't tell if it's King John or Henry III. Either way this thing is the real deal. It's not cheap knock off sold to tourists."

They stare as Dean picks up a small burned object. "And um...that is the charred metacarpal bone of a newborn baby."

Dean grimaces and drops the bone. "Gross."

"Relax, man, it's like, at least a hundred years old."

"Oh, right, like that makes it better," Dean argues, leaning back against the couch. "Witches, man, they're so fucking skeevy."

"Yeah, well, it takes a pretty powerful one to put a bag like this together. More juice than we've ever dealt with that's for sure. What about you? Find anything on the victim?"

"This Luke Wallace? He was so vanilla that he made vanilla seem spicy. I can't find any reason why somebody would want this guy dead."

Addison lets out a frustrated sigh and flops onto the hardwood floor. "Why can't we have an easy case? Like a sexy vampire ripping out throats? By the way neither of you are allowed to kill Vampire Bill." Dean sends Sam a confused look, but Sam just shakes his head.

* * *

Addison yawns and turns another page in the heavy book in her lap. They had heard over the police scanner earlier that day about a teenager dying at a Halloween party. And seeing as how they didn't have any other leads, they had decided to check it out. Sam had managed to find a hex bag, exactly like the first one they found, hidden in between some couch cushions. Afterwards, they had retreated back to the motel. "I'm telling you, both these vic's are squeaky clean. There is no reason for a wicked bitch payback," Dean says, breaking the silence.

"Maybe cause it's not about that," Sam replies, from where he was sitting on a bed. Dean was at the table with Sam's laptop in front of him while Addison was stretched out on the couch.

"Then what is it about," Addison questions, sitting up.

Sam stands up. "Maybe this witch isn't working the grudge, maybe she's working a spell. Check this out. Three blood sacrifices over three days, the last before midnight on the final day of the final harvest. Celtic calendar the final day of the final harvest is October 31st."

"Halloween," Dean states as Sam hands him the book. Addison joins and looks over Dean's shoulder.

"Exactly."

"What exactly are the, uh, blood sacrifices for?"

"Uh, if I'm right, this witch is summoning a demon and not just any demon. Samhain."

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"Samhain is the whole reason we have Halloween, Dean. The Celts believe that October 31st is the day when the veil between the living and dead is at it's thinnest. So, Samhain would make his way to Earth. But people would put masks on to hide from him, candy on the doorstep to make him happy, and they would carve his face into pumpkins," Addison explains.

"He was also exorcised centuries ago," Sam says.

"So, even though Samhain took a trip downstairs the tradition stuck," Dean asks, looking between them.

"Yeah, but we have candy and costumes now instead demons and orgies...Though I think some people still do the orgies," Addison replies.

A disbelieving look appears on Dean's face. "Okay, so some witch wants to raise Samhain and take back the night?"

"Dean, this is serious," Sam argues.

"I am serious."

"We're talking heavyweight witchcraft. This ritual can only be performed every six hundred years."

"And the six hundred year marker rolls around..."

"Tomorrow night."

Dean scoffs. "Naturally." The book that Sam had handed a drawing with demon standing on a pile of bodies. "Well, it sure is a lot of death and destruction for one demon."

"That's because he likes company. Once he's raised, Samhain can do some raising of his own."

"Raising what exactly?"

"Dark, evil crap and lots of it. I mean, they follow him around like the fucking Pied Piper."

"So, we're talking ghosts."

"Yeah."

"Zombies."

"Mm hmm."

"Leprechauns?"

“Dean--"

"Those little dudes are scary. Small hands." Dean turns to Addison. "Do you think they say 'magically delicious?'"

Addison rolls her eyes. "I doubt it. Just like I'm pretty damn sure there's no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

"Guys," Sam frustratedly says. "It just starts with ghosts and ghouls. This fucker keeps on going, by nights end we are talking every awful thing we have ever seen. Everything we fight, all in one place."

Dean sighs. "It's gonna be a slaughterhouse."

* * *

Addison wraps her arms around Sam after he hangs up his phone. She rest her chin on his shoulder. "So, tomorrow's Halloween," she begins. He looks at her, waiting. "Which makes the day after tomorrow November 1st..."

Sam sighs and stands up. "Addison, every year you ask me if I'm okay and my answer is that I'm fine."

"I know. I just...I worry about you, Sam."

His phone rings and Sam kisses her cheek before answering it. Addison sighs and grabs her laptop off the table, then sits down on the couch. She looks up when the motel door opens and Dean walks in. "So, our apple bobbing cheerleader," Sam starts.

"Tracy," Dean asks, sitting down on his bed.

Sam nods. "Yeah."

"The Wallace's babysitter told me she never even heard of Luke Wallace."

"High school cheerleader," Addison says. "It's certainly an interesting look for six hundred year old witch."

"Yeah, well, if you were a six hundred year hag and you could pick any costume to come back in, wouldn't you go for a hot cheerleader? I would, hmmm..."

"I'd pick a queen. Cause everyone has to curtsy to me and..." The guys looks at her. Addison clears her throat. "Sam, what'd you find?"

"Well, Tracy's not as wholesome as she looks. Did some digging, apparently she got into a violent altercation with one of her teachers, got suspended from school," Sam tells them, handing his laptop to Dean.

Addison sits next to Dean on his bed. "So, would you still want to be a slutty, violent cheerleader, Dean?"

Dean smirks at her and hands the computer back to Sam. "Better than being a princess."

* * *

Addison stares at the paper mache masks hanging from the ceiling as they enter a classroom. She raises an eyebrow when Dean stares at one particular mask, but remains quiet. "Bring back memories," Sam asks, walking up behind them.

A startled look briefly appears on Dean's face. "What do you mean?"

"Being a teenager, all that angst."

"Oh."

"What'd you think I meant?"

"Nothing." He looks up as a student moves to be a very large bong into a kiln. "Now that brings back memories."

"Of course it would," Addison mutters.

A middle aged man enters the classroom before Dean has a chance to reply. "You folks wanna talk to me," he asks them, walking over to a desk.

"Ah, Mr. Harding," Sam greets.

"Oh, please, Don," he replies, shaking their hands.

"Okay, Don."

"Even my students call me Don."

"Yeah, we get it, Don," Dean responds as they pull out the fake badges. "I'm Agent Getty. This is Agent Lee and Agent Wilson. We just had a few questions about, uh, Tracy Davis."

"Uh, yeah, Tracy, uh, bright kid, loads of talent. It's a shame she got suspended."

"Uh, you two had a, uh, violent altercation."

Don chuckles. "Yeah, she exploded. If Principal Murrow hadn't walked by when he did, Tracy would have clawed my eyes out."

"Why," Addison asks.

"I, uh, you know, I was only trying to rap with her about her work. It had gotten inappropriate and disturbing."

Dean motions to the masks. "More disturbing than, uh, those guys?"

Don sighs and leans against his desk. "She would cover page after page with these bizarre cryptic symbols and then there were the drawings. Detail images of killings, gory, primitive, and she would depict herself in the middle of them, participating."

"Symbols? What kind of symbols," Sam questions. He pulls out a small plastic bag with the coin in it. "Anything like this?"

"Yeah, yeah. I think that might have been one of them."

"Do you know where Tracy might be now," Addison asks.

"I would imagine her apartment."

"Her apartment," Dean repeats.

"Yeah, she got here about a year ago, alone. As I understood it, as an emancipated teen. God only knows what her parents were like."

* * *

Addison distastefully glances between Dean and the pile of candy wraps sitting between them on the Impala's front seat. They had split up to look for Tracy, with Dean and Addison driving around and Sam on foot. "I'm gonna laugh when you sick," she says as he pulls the Impala into a parking spot at the motel.

"You're just pissed that I didn't give you any, princess," Dean argues as they climb out. He sees Sam walk up to them. "So?"

"Tracy was no where I could find. Any luck with her friends," Sam asks, looking between them.

"You thought our luck was gonna start now," Addison counters. "Her friends have no idea where she is."

"Yeah, it's like the bitch popped a broomstick," Dean finishes.

"She could be making the third sacrifice any time," Sam points out.

"Yes, thank you, Sam."

Addison smiles as a little boy dressed as an astronaut and carrying a bright orange bucket walks up to them. "Trick or treat," the boy greets.

Dean stares at him. "This is a motel."

"So?"

"So, we don't have any candy."

Sam shakes his head. "No, we have a ton in the, uh..."

"We did, but it's gone," Dean interrupts, giving his younger brother a look. He turns to the little boy. "Sorry, kid, we can't help ya."

"I want candy," the boy tells him.

"Well, I think you've had enough."

Addison watches at the boy gives Dean a death glare and purposely bumps into him as he walks away. "Dean, that was mean," she tells him as they walk to the room.

Dean hears Sam shout and rushes into the room. Addison runs after him and slips in on the other side of Sam. She vaguely recognizes the dark haired man wearing a suit and trench coat. But the other one, a tall African-American man in an expensive suit, isn't someone she recalls.

Dean puts his hand on Sam's arm and pushes it down. "Sam! Sam, wait! It's Castiel," he explains. "The angel." He motions to the other man by the window. "Him, I don't know."

"Hello, Sam," Castiel greets.

Sam puts his gun and steps towards Castiel, a big on on his face. "Oh my God, er, uh, I didn't mean to - sorry. It's an honor, really. I - I've heard a lot about you." Addison raises an eyebrow when Sam holds out his hand. Castiel stares at him. Sam shakes his head and Castiel grasps it. A door clicks and Addison glances behind to see Dean closes it.

Castiel puts free hand on top of Sam’s. "And I, you. Sam Winchester, the boy with the demon blood. Glad to see you've ceased your extracurricular activities."

"Let's keep it that way," the man by the window coldly says as Sam pulls his hand from Castiel's grip.

"Yeah, okay, chuckles," Dean replies, turning to Castiel. "Who's your friend?"

"The raising of Samhain, have you stopped it," Castiel asks, not looking away from Sam.

"Why?"

The angel finally looks at Dean. "Dean, have you located the witch?"

"No, but—" Sam starts.

"We know who it is," Dean finishes.

Castiel walks over to the nightstand and picks up a hex. "Apparently, the witch knows who you are too. This was inside the wall of your room. If we hadn't found it, surely one or both of you would be dead. Do you know where the witch is now?"

The three hunters exchange a look. "We're working on it," Dean tells him.

"That's unfortunate."

"What do you care?"

"The raising of Samhain is one of the sixty-six seals."

"So, this is about your buddy Lucifer."

"Lucifer is no friend of ours," the man coldly tells him.

"It's just an expression."

"Lucifer can not rise, the breaking of the seal must be prevented at all costs," Castiel explains.

"Okay, great, well now that you're here, why don't you tell us where the witch is. We'll gank her and everybody goes home."

"We are not omniscient. This witch is very powerful. She's cloaked to even our methods."

"Okay, well, we already know who she is, so if we work together—" Sam begins.

"Enough of this," the man interrupts.

Dean glares. "Okay, who are you and why should I care?"

The man turns and Addison takes a step closer to Dean. She didn't like the look that he sent her, one that clearly said she had no place being there.

"This is Uriel, he's what you might call a...specialist," Castiel states.

Dean frowns. "What kind of specialist?" They watch as the angels exchange a look. "What are you gonna do?"

"You, uh, both of you, you need to leave this town immediately."

"Why," Addison questions, speaking up for the first time.

Castiel glances at her, as if realizing that she was in the room, then turns back to Dean. "Because we're about to destroy it."

Addison exchanges a worried look with the guys. "So, this is your plan," Dean asks. "You're gonna smite the whole fucking town?"

"We're out of time. This witch has to die. The seal must be saved."

"There's like a thousand people here," Addison points out.

"One thousand two hundred fourteen, mud monkey," Uriel corrects.

Sam steps forward, moving protectively in front of Addison. "And you're willing to kill them all?"

"This isn't the first time I've...purified a city."

"Look, I understand this is regrettable," Castiel says.

Dean scoffs. "Regrettable?"

"We have to hold the line. Too many seals have broken already."

"So, you screw the pooch on some seals and this town has to pay the price?"

"It's the lives of one thousand against the lives of six billion, there's a bigger picture here."

"Right, cause you're bigger picture kind of guys."

Addison watches as Castiel moves towards Dean. "Lucifer can not rise. He does and Hell rises with him. Is that something that you're willing to risk?"

"We'll stop this witch before she summons anyone. Your seal won't be broken and no has to die," Sam says.

"We're wasting time with these mud monkeys," Uriel argues.

Castiel turns away from them. "I'm sorry, but we have our orders."

Sam shakes his head. "No, you can't do this, you're angels. I mean, aren't you supposed to - you're supposed to show mercy."

Uriel coldly chuckles. "Says who?"

"We have no choice," Castiel tells Dean.

"Of course you have a choice," Dean counters. "I mean, come on, what? You've never questioned a crap order, huh? What are you both just a couple of hammers?"

"Look, even if you can't understand it, have faith. The plan is just."

Addison shakes her head. "How can you say that," she quietly asks.

"Because it comes from Heaven. That makes it just."

"Oh, it must be nice," Dean sarcastically begins. "To be so sure of yourselves."

"Tell me something, Dean, when your father gave you an order, didn't you obey?"

Dean stares at the angel. "Well, sorry, boys, looks like the plans have changed."

"You think you can stop us," Uriel angrily asks.

Dean walks over to him. "No, but if you're gonna smite this whole town, then you're have to smite us with it. Because we are not leaving. See, you went to the trouble of busting me out of Hell, I figure I'm worth something to the man upstairs. So, you wanna waste me, go ahead. See how he digs that."

"I will drag you out of here myself."

"Yeah, but you'll have to kill me, then we're back to the same problem. I mean, come on, you're gonna wipe out a whole town for one little witch. Sounds to me like you're compensating for something." Dean turns to Castiel. "We can do this. We will find that witch and we will stop the summoning."

"Castiel! I will not let these people—"

Castiel holds up a hand. "Enough!" He stares at Dean. "I suggest you move quickly."

A flutter of wings signals the angels' departure. Dean runs a hand over his face. "Alright, let's go find the witch." The trio walks out of the room, with Sam pausing to grab the hex bag off the table. They reach the Impala and find it covered in eggs. An angry appears on Dean's face as he inspects his beloved car. "Astronaut!"

Addison rolls her eyes. "Dean, there's a reason why it's called trick or treating." He glares at her and they climb into the Impala. She notices the solemn look on Sam's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Sam replies. He sighs. "I thought they'd be different."

"Who? The angels," Dean asks.

"Yeah."

"Well, I tried to tell ya."

"I just...I mean, I thought they'd be righteous."

"Well, they are righteous. I mean, that's kinda the problem. Of course there's nothing more dangerous than some asshole who think he's on a holy mission."

"But, I mean, this is God? And Heaven? This is what I've been praying to?"

Dean sighs. "Look, man, I know you and Ads are into the whole God thing, you know, Jesus on a tortilla and shit like that. But just because there's a couple of bad apples doesn't mean the whole barrel's rotten. I mean, for all we know, God hates these dicks...don't give up on this stuff is all I'm saying. Babe Ruth was a dick but baseball's still a beautiful game."

Addison smiles and leans forward. "You know, he's right, Sam."

Dean smirks. "Ads, you know I love it when you say that." Sam looks between them, then opens the hex bag. "Well, are you gonna figure out a way to find this witch or are you just sit there fingering your bone?"

Sam holds up the small bone. "You know how much heat it would take to char a bone like this?"

"A shitload," Addison answers.

"Yeah. More than a fire or some kitchen oven."

Dean nods, not understanding. "Okay, Betty Crocker, what does that mean?"

"It means we have to make a stop."

* * *

Their stop ended up being the local high school they had visited earlier. Addison follows the guys into the art classroom. Dean looks over the kiln as Sam inspects Don's desk. "So, Tracy used the kiln to char the bone. What's the big deal?"

"Dean, that hex bag turned up in our room, not after we talked to Tracy—" Sam starts as Addison joins him.

"After we talked to the teacher," Dean finishes.

Addison raises an eyebrow after seeing a drawer with a pad lock on it. She grabs a hammer off a table and pushes Sam out of the way before breaking the lock. The guys stare at her. "What?" She shakes her head and pulls off the lock.

Sam opens the drawer and reels back. A small bowl was filled with tiny bones, with one of them charred. "My God, those are all from children."

"And I'm guessing he's not saving them for the dog," Dean says.

"Well, at least we know where to go now," Addison tells them.

* * *

It had been fairly easy to find Don Harding's address in the local phone book. The upstairs of the house held no trace of anybody there. Dean opens door and hears chanting coming from the basement. He softly whistles and the other two hunters join him. Guns in front of them, the trio make their way down into the basement. Don had his back to the stairs while Tracy was tied up and hanging on the ceiling. They each fire at Don, knocking the art teacher down.

Sam and Addison go to search him while Dean cuts down Tracy. She rips the gag out of her mouth. "Thank you, he was gonna kill me," Tracy tells them. "Ugh, that sick son of a bitch. I mean, did you see what he was doing? Did you hear him? How sloppy his incantation was?" The trio looks up at the blonde. Addison pulls her gun out of her jeans. "My brother always was a little dim." Suddenly, Tracy waves her hand and they fly across the basement. Addison lets out a groan as she hits the hard cement. Pain erupted from within and she wraps an arm around her stomach.

"He was gonna make me the final sacrifice, his idea, but now that honor goes to him. Our master's return? The spell works a two man job you understand, so, for six hundred years I had to deal with that pompous son of a bitch. Planning, preparing, unbearable." Tracy picks up a large knife and a metal cup before kneeling down next to Don's body. "The whole time I wanted to rip his face off," she continues, cutting open a bullet hole. Blood freely pours from the wound. "And you get him with a gun. Love that. You know, back in the day, this was the one day you kept your children inside. Well, tonight you'll all see what Halloween really is."

Sam watches as Tracy walks over to the alter and starts the ritual. He reaches out to the pool of blood a couple of feet away from them and smears some on his face. "What are you doing," Dean whispers.

"Just follow my lead," Sam whispers back, smearing blood on Dean's face. He rolls over and Addison grimaces as he smears the blood on her face.

The ground shakes and cracks the cement. A black smoke flies out and into Don's body. The trio remain still as they watch Don stand up. He walks over to Tracy and she smiles at him. "My love," she greets.

Samhain cups her face and kisses her. "You've aged."

"This face...I can't fool you."

"Your beauty is beyond time." Samhain grips her neck and twists. "Whore."

Addison snaps her eyes shut and remains perfectly still as footsteps pass her. When a door slams shut, she cautiously opens her eyes. "What the hell was that," Dean quietly demands.

Sam shrugs. "Halloween lore. People used to wear masks to hide from him, so I gave it a shot."

Dean shoots his brother a disbelieving look. "You gave it a shot!"

Addison shakes her head and slowly sits up. "Let's just get out of here."

The three of them make their way out of the house, pausing to get wet towels out of the kitchen. "Where the hell are we gonna find this mook," Dean asks as they walk towards the Impala.

"Well, if you an evil monster and needed an army of minions where would you go," Addison asks him.

"The cemetery."

They climb into the Impala and take off towards the nearest cemetery. Sam keeps his gaze on the road in front of them. "So, this demon's pretty powerful," he begins.

"Yeah."

Sam glances at him. "Might take more than the usual weapons."

Den shakes his head. "Sam, no, you're not using your psychic whatever. Don't even think about it. Ruby's knife is enough."

"Why?"

"Well, because the angels said so for one."

"I thought you said they were a bunch of fanatics."

"Well, they happen to be right about this one."

"I don't know, Dean. It doesn't seem like they're right about much."

"Well, then forget the angels, okay? You said yourself, these powers, it's like playing with fire." Dean picks up the knife on the seat between them and holds it out to Sam. "Please." Sam reluctantly takes the knife from him and a tense silence settles over them. Addison lets out a sigh and leans back. She had a feeling that whatever went down with Samhain wasn't going to be good.

* * *

After gathering up enough items to deal with whatever might be going on, they follow Samhain into a mausoleum and they find a group of teenagers locked in a crypt. "Help them," Sam orders, moving to follow in the direction that Samhain had went.

"Sam, no," Addison shouts. "You can't go by yourself!"

"Do it!"

She turns to Dean and sees the unhappy look on his face. He pulls out his gun and aims it at the lock on the door. "Stand back," he tells the group. "Stand back!" He shoots off the lock, then kicks open the door. "Go on, come on! Get out! Move!"

Addison stands back as the teenagers run out of the mausoleum. She runs in as a stone door falls to the ground and smashes. More stones fall. Dean drops the bag of weapons on the ground and pulls a couple of silver stakes. Addison presses her back against Dean's as a stone behind her smashes. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind for Halloween."

Dean smirks at her. "French maid?"

"Slutty cop."

"Well, I'll take the ones on this side, Officer."

"Sounds like a plan." Addison swings the stake at the zombie and knocks it down before stabbing it in the stomach.

Footsteps echo in the crypt and they turn to see an older woman. Dean stabs a stake in the woman, but she disappears. "Zombie ghost orgy, huh?"

"Not the kind of orgy you were expecting?"

"Nope. But that's it. I'm torching everybody." Dean grabs a canister of salt and tosses it to Addison, then grabs a bottle of lighter fluid. Together, they spread it all over the crypt as more zombies and ghosts appears. He slams the metal door shut and tosses a match book in the room. Addison watches as Dean runs in the direction that Sam had went. Slowly, she follows them. Deep down, she knew what Sam was doing.

Addison stops less than a foot behind Dean. Sam had his hand out and was grabbing his head. His nose was bleeding. She could hear Samhain coughing. Then the body falls to the ground. Sam doesn't meet her or Dean's gazes. Addison avoids Dean as she makes her way over to Sam. She wraps an arm around as he puts his arm around her shoulders. Silently, Addison leads Sam out of the room while he kept his gaze on the ground.

* * *

Sam shoves his folded clothes into his duffle. He glances at the bathroom door, wondering what Addison was doing since she locked herself in there. Dean had left earlier without saying anything. But Sam knew that his brother was disappointed that he had used his powers. "Tomorrow." He jumps and turns to see Uriel standing across the room. "November second, it's an anniversary for you."

"What are you doing here," Sam demands.

"It's the day Azazel killed your mother and twenty-two years later, your girlfriend too. It must be difficult to bear yet you so brazenly use the power he gave you. His profane blood pumping through your veins."

"Excuse me?"

"You were told not to use your abilities."

"And what was I supposed to do? That demon would have killed me and my brother and Addison and everyone."

"You were told not to."

"If Samhain had gotten loose in this town—"

"You've been warned, twice now."

Sam scoffs. "You know? My brother was right about you, you are dicks."

Uriel stares at him. A breeze blows by Sam and he blinks seeing the angel right in front of him. "The only reason you're still alive, Sam Winchester, is because you've been useful. But the moment that ceases to be true, the second you become more trouble than you're worth, one word. One and I will turn you to dust," Uriel threatens. Sam nods. "As for your brother, tell him that maybe he should climb off that high horse of his. Ask Dean what he remembers from Hell."

A fluttering signals Uriel's departure and Sam looks around the motel room. The bathroom door opens and he turns to see Addison. She walks over and tightly embraces him. "Are you okay," she softly asks.

He tenses. "You heard?"

Addison nods. She sighs and steps back from him. "You never stopped, did you?

"No." She stares at him, then she grabs his hand and gives it a supportive squeeze. Sam shoots her a thankful smile, knowing that at least he had her support no matter what.


	7. Wishful Thinking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

"It just doesn't make any sense, Dean," Sam says as the three of them sit in a restaurant eating. Addison pushes her half eaten plate of fries in Dean's direction and he happily takes them. "I mean, why would Uriel tell me you remembered Hell if you didn't?"

Dean shrugs. "Maybe because he's a dick. Might have something to do with it."

"Yeah, but he's still an angel," Addison counters and Sam nods in agreement.

"Yeah, an angel who was ready to level an entire town. Look, I don't know what—"

"Radical. What else can I get you guys," the overly cheerful waiter asks them. He wore a red shirt with black pants and suspenders. He also had a light up buttons on his suspenders.

"Uh, think we're good," Sam tells him.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You want to try a couple of fryer bombs? Or a chipotle chili changa?"

"No, no. We're still good," Dean says and the waiter nods.

"Okay, awesome," the waiter tells them, then walks away.

"Sam, honestly, I have no idea why Uriel told you what he did, okay."

"Right," Sam disbelievingly says.

Dean stares. "What?"

"Okay. Fine. Then look me in the eye and tell me you don't remember a thing from your time down under."

"I don't remember a thing from my time down under," Dean states. He lets out a sigh from the look Sam sends him. "I don't remember, Sam!"

"Look, Dean, I just want to help."

"You both know everything I do. Okay? That's all there is."

"Outstanding," the waiter announces walking back over to them and Addison stares at him. "Dessert time? Huh? Am I right?"

"Dude."

"Listen, folks. You have got to try our ice cream extreme. It's extreme."

"Look, just gives us the check and leave," Addison says.

"All right, awesome," the waiter says and walks away, causing Addison to stare at him in confusion.

"That dude is way too cheerful."

"All right, so, where do we go from here," Dean asks them.

"I'm not sure. Uh, looks like it's been pretty quiet lately. No signs of demon activity, no omens or portents I can see," Sam says, turning his laptop.

Dean takes a swig of his beer. "That's good news for once."

"Yeah, just the typical smattering of crank UFO sightings and one possible vengeful spirit." He turns his laptop to face Dean. "Here, check this out. Uh, up in Concrete, Washington, eyewitness reports of a ghost that's been haunting the showers of a women's health facility. The victim claims that the ghost threw her down a flight of stairs." Dean reaches out and slams the computer shut. "I can see you're very interested."

Dean grins as he pulls out his wallet and drops enough cash on the table to cover the meal. "Women, showers. We got to save these people."

After packing up his computer, Sam turns to Addison with the puppy look on his face. She shakes her head. "That doesn't work on me. And if Dean gets arrested that's his fault. Not mine." He just smiles at her with his puppy look. Addison stares at him for a moment, then lets out an annoyed sigh. "Fine. But you owe me one."

* * *

Dean looks up from the local newspaper when Addison plops down next to him, with a cup in hand. His excitement over searching the fitness center had disappeared when Addison had decided to join him. She smiles at him. "Hey!" They look up to see Sam walking towards them and stand up. "You pick up anything?"

"No EMF in the showers or anywhere else. This house is clean," Dean tells him.

"Yeah. I'm not surprised. I kind of got the feeling back there that crazy pushed Mrs. Armstrong down the stairs."

"I got to tell you, I'm pretty disappointed."

"Dean, you wanted to save naked women," Addison points out.

"Damn right, I wanted to save some naked women. Instead, I got stuck with looking around a locker room with a bunch of naked dudes." Dean snatches the drink out of her hand and takes a sip. He reels back. "What the fuck?"

Addison takes her drink back. "It's a pineapple smoothie, assface."

Sam laughs. Suddenly, a little blonde boy with three bigger boys runs past them. "Run, Forrest, run," Dean shouts after them.

"Sorry, Dean, but I don't think anything's going on around here," Sam amusedly tells him as they walk back towards the Impala.

"How the hell was I supposed to get a look at it? It grabbed me from behind and threw me into a tree," a man exclaims.

"Something's going on," Dean argues. They make their way to where a man was talking to a police officer on a pier.

"Yeah, okay, Gus. I understand you got shook up. Anyone would be. But don't you think it - don't you think it had to be a bear," the officer tells the man.

"I know a damn bear track when I see one! This thing didn't leave bear tracks! Its feet were huge," Gus says.

"Now, Gus—"

"It was Bigfoot, Hal — The Bigfoot!"

The trio exchanges a look. Sam pulls out his fake FBI badge and walks up to the men. "Excuse me. FBI," he greets.

"What," the officer questions.

"Yes, sir. I'm here about the...that."

A disbelieving look appears on the officer's face. "About Bigfoot?"

Dean nods. “That's right. Sir, can you tell me exactly where this happened?"

"Yes, I can," Gus proudly answers.

After getting the story and directions from Gus, Sam heads back over to Dean and Addison. Addison lets out a sigh as they hike through the woods. "What the hell's going on in this town? First there's a ghost that's not real and now a Bigfoot sighting," Dean questions aloud.

Addison shrugs. "Hell, I if I know. But every hunter knows that Bigfoot is a bunch of crap."

"Well, maybe somebody's pumping LSD into the town water supply." They suddenly stop when they come across a large set of tracks in the mud. "Okay. What do you supposed made that?"

"That, uh...is a big foot," Sam states.

"No shit," Addison retorts. Shrugging, she makes her way around the mud and follows the tracks. They follow the tracks until they reach a liquor store.

The liquor had been ransacked. Broken bottles covered the floor. "So, what...Bigfoot breaks into a liquor store, jonesing for hooch," Dean asks aloud, looking around. Glass crunches under his boot and looks to see a label on the ground. "Amaretto and Irish cream. He's a girl drink drunk. Just like you, Ads."

Addison rolls her eyes. "You know, I bet if you tried an appletini, you'd like it."

"I'll stick with real liquor."

"Hey. Check this out," Sam calls. They walk towards the front of the store where the magazine rack had been.

"He took the whole porno rack," Dean disbelieving asks. Sam picks up a tuft of fur hanging on the corner. "Well, I'll say it again. What the hell is going on in this town?" He looks between his brother and best friend, who looked just as stumped as he was. They walk out of the liquor store and sit down on a bench outside. "I got nothing."

"It's got to be a joke, right," Sam asks. "Some big ass fucker in a gorilla suit?"

"Could be a frat prank," Addison suggests.

"Or it's a Bigfoot. You know and he's some kind of a alcoholic prono addict. Kind of a like a deep woods Duchovny," Dean theorizes. A young girl rides past them on a bicycle. A magazine falls out and Dean scoops it up. "A little young for Busty Asian Beauties."

They follow the little girl and watch as she sets a box filled with liquor and porn at the back door of the liquor store. "Will either her dad went on a crazy bender or...yeah," Addison comments.

"What's this, like a  _Harry and the Hendersons_  deal," Dean asks as they walk up to the front of door of the little girl's house.

Sam knocks on the door. The little girl opens the door. "Hello?"

"Hello! Um, could we...you know what? Are your parents home," Sam asks.

"Nope."

"No."

Dean turns to the girl. "No. Um...have you seen a really, really furry—"

"Is he in trouble," she interrupts, looking between them.

"No," Addison brightly answers. "He's in no trouble at all. See, we just wanted to make sure that he was okay."

"Exactly," Dean agrees.

"He's my teddy bear. I think he's sick."

"Wow. Uh...amazing. Cause you know what? We...are, uh..." The three of them flash fake badges at the girl. "Teddy bear doctors."

The girl's gaze widens. "Really? Can you please take a look at him?"

"Absolutely," Addison replies. "Just lead the way..."

"Audrey," the girl answers. The trio follow Audrey into the house and up the stairs. "He's in my bedroom. He's pretty grumpy." Audrey knocks on a door. "Teddy? There's some nice doctors here to see you."

Audrey opens the door and Addison's gaze widens. She looks at the guys to find equally shocked looks on their faces. Sitting on the bed was a life sized teddy bear, who was holding a bottle of whiskey. "Close the fucking door," Teddy shouts.

Audrey closes the door and looks up at them. "See what I mean?" She lets out a sigh. "All I ever wanted a a teddy which was big, real, and talked. But now he's sad all the time. Not ouch sad, but ouch in the head sad. Says weird stuff and smells like the bus."

"Um, little girl..." Dean begins.

"Audrey!"

"Audrey. How exactly did your teddy become real?"

"I wished for it."

Sam looks at her. "You wished for it?"

"At the wishing well."

Addison steps forward and opens the door. Teddy was watching the news. "Look at this," the teddy bear shouts. "You believe this crap?" Addison remains silent. "It is a terrible world. Why am I here?!"

"For tea parties," Audrey yells.

"Tea parties? Is that all there is?"

Sam clears his throat. "Audrey, give us a second, okay? Okay." He grabs the back of Addison's jacket and pulls her away from the scene. She looks between the brothers. "Are we...should we...are gonna kill this teddy bear," he whispers.

"How? Do we shoot it? Burn it," Dean quietly replies.

Addison shrugs. "Both?"

"How do we even know that's gonna work? I don't want some giant, flaming, pissed off teddy on our hands."

Sam nods in agreement. "Besides, I get the feeling that the bear isn't really the, you know, core problem here."

Addison turns to Audrey. "Audrey, where are your parents?"

"My mom wished they were in Bali, so I think they're in Bali," Audrey tells her.

"Okay, um...well, you see Teddy is very, very sick. He's got, um..."

"Lollipop disease," Dean says.

"Teddy has lollipop disease."

"It's not uncommon for a bear his size. But, see, it's really contagious."

"So, is there a grown up that you can stay with while we treat Teddy?"

"Mrs. Hurley lives down the street," Audrey replies.

Addison smiles. "Perfect."

"Good, yeah, good. Uh, we'd like you stay there for a few days, okay," Sam say.

Audrey nods. "Okay."

"Oh, and, Audrey? Where is this wishing well," Dean asks, smiling at the girl.

* * *

The trio enter the local Chinese restaurant located on main street. It was decorated in shades of red and jade. A large fountain was next to the counter where the cash register sat. "Think it works," Dean asks, staring at the fountain.

"Got a better explanation for teddy back there," Sam counters.

Dean shrugs, pulling out some coins. "Well, there's one way to find out."

"What are you gonna wish for?"

"Shh!" Dean tosses a coin into the fountain. "Not supposed to tell."

Sam scoffs. Addison rolls her eyes. "Sam, there is only two things that are constantly on Dean's mind. Sex and food," she points out.

"Somebody order a footlong Italian with jalapeño," a voice asks.

They turn to see a delivery guy standing by the door. Dean grins. "That'd be me." Dean pays for the sandwich and the trio sit down in an empty booth, with Dean digging into his sandwich. "I think it works, dude. That was pretty specific."

"The teddy bear, the sandwich..." Sam trails off.

Dean pulls out the paper he had been reading earlier. The front page held a picture of man standing with a giant check. "Mmm. I'm guessing this."

"And I'm gonna guess that," Addison says, motioning to a booth a where a nerdy looking man sat making out with an attractive woman.

"Well, that definitely goes on the list." Dean sits his sandwich down. "What are we supposed to do, huh? Stop people's wishes from coming true? Sounds like a kind of douchey thing to do."

Sam shrugs. "Yeah, maybe. But come on, man. When has something like this ever come without a price tag? And usually a deadly one."

"I don't know. It's a damn good sandwich." Sam shoots his older brother an annoyed look. "All right. Fine. We'll put a hold on the wishing till we figure out what's going on."

"Uh, gentlemen, ladies." They look up to see an older Chinese man standing by their table. "I'm sorry. We don't allow people to eat outside food here."

"Well, I am certainly not gonna eat the inside food here," Dean counters, pulling out his fake badge. Sam and Addison also pull out their badges. "Health department. You, my friend, have a rat infestation. We're gonna have to shut this place down under emergency hazard code Fifty-six C."

"Rats," the manager exclaims. They watch as the man briskly walks away, muttering in Chinese.

* * *

After the restaurant has cleared and shut down for the day, they had drained the fountain. Dean kneels down and brushes the coins to the side. "Typical fountain, plaster Buddha. Nothing I can see," he tells Sam and Addison.

"Yes, nothing. We keep a clean place here," the manager says.

Addison turns to the man. "Sir, I'm gonna ask that you leave during our preliminary investigation, okay? Thank you."

"Oh, come on," Dean says, glancing at them. "Aren't you guys a little tempted?"

Addison shrugs and kneels down next to him. "A little," she confesses. "But I don't know what I'd wish for."

"You'd probably wish for something stupid, like world peace."

Addison rolls her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with world peace."

Sam chuckles. "Wouldn't be real. I wouldn't trust it."

"I don't know. That bear seemed pretty real," Dean argues.

"Yeah."

"Come on, if you could wish yourself back, you know, before it all started...think about it. You'd be some big yuppie lawyer with a nice car and a white picket fence."

Sam shakes his head. "Not what I'd wish for."

Dean looks up at him, stunned. "Seriously?"

"It's too late to go back to our old lives, Dean. I'm not that guy anymore."

"All right, well, what then? Hmm? What would Sammy wish for?"

"Lilith's head on a plate. Bloody."

"Okay."

Addison frowns. "Guys."

An old coin was sitting in the middle of the fountain. "What is that," Dean asks.

Sam kneels down on the other side of Addison. "Some kind of old coin. I don't recognize the markings."

Addison grabs the coin. But it doesn't budge. Dean shoves her out of the way. "Let a man try, princess," he says. He tries picking up the coin, but it still doesn't move.

"Don't forget to lift with your legs," Addison mocks.

"Is that little mother fucker welded on there? Huh."

Addison watches as the guys walk out of the restaurant. She looks up when the manager walks over. "They're just going to get a couple of tools," she informs, standing up.

The boys reenter the restaurant carrying a mallet hammer and a crowbar. "Hey, hey, hey, what is this," the manager demands. "You are gonna break my fountain!"

"Sir, I don't want to slap you with a forty-four slash sixteen, but I will. All right, thanks."

"Let me see that. I got an idea," Dean says, holding out a hand for the crowbar. Sam hands it to him. Dean puts the crowbar against the coin and bangs that hammer against. But the mallet flies off.

"Holy shit," Addison exclaims.

"Damn!"

"Coin's magical," Sam states.

"You think," Addison mocks.

"I think it's hoodoo that's protecting the well. I don't think we can destroy this," Dean tells him.

Sam kneels down and pulls out a piece of paper and pencil. He does a quick pencil rub and hands the paper to Dean. "All right, here. You guys got to look into this."

"Where are you going," Addison asks.

"Something just occurred to me."

They watch as Sam runs out of the restaurant. Dean stands up, shoving the paper in his pocket. "We're done here. So, you can open shop again," he tells the manager before they walk out.

They stop as a group of boys runs past them, with a small boy chasing them. The little boy stops and stares at the disbelieving look on Dean's face. "You got a problem, mister," the little boy asks.

"What? No."

The little boy runs off after the three bigger ones. Addison raises an eyebrow and looks at Dean. "That's weird." Dean grabs his stomach. "You okay?"

"Peachy," Dean forces out.

* * *

Addison grimaces as the sound of Dean throwing up fills the motel room. The moment they had entered, he ran into the bathroom. The door opens and she looks up to see Sam. "Dean? You all right," he calls out, shrugging off his jacket.

"The wishes turn bad, Sam," Dean groans. "The wishes turn very bad."

"The sandwich," Sam asks, sitting down at the table next to Addison.

"So, the coin is Babylonian and cursed," Addison begins. The toilet flushes and they look to see Dean leaning against the doorway.

"I'm good," Dean tells him.

"Nice to know. Anyway, it has the Babylonian god of chaos on it, Tiamat. My guess is that some Babylonian priests were working some dark magic."

"They made the coin," Sam asks.

"Yeah. Probably because someone pissed them off. They invoked the magic of Tiamat and put it in the coin. When someone uses the coin to make a wish, the coin makes the entire well grant everyone's wishes."

"But the wishes get twisted. You ask for a talking teddy—"

"You get a bipolar nut job," Dean interrupts.

"And you get e. Coli."

"Well, this coin has wiped a few cities off the map over the years," Addison continues. "I mean, if one person gets their wish its a little bit of trouble. But when everyone's wishes start coming true—"

"It's chaos."

"Yep."

"Any way to stop it?"

"Find the first wisher. They dropped the coin and made the first wish. So, they're the only one who can pull it out and doing that will reverse all the other wishes. If we don't stop it soon, then it'll start spreading on the internet and well...shit hits the fan."

Dean grimaces, then takes a deep breath. "I'm still good." He walks over to his bed and promptly collapses on it, burying his face in the pillow.

* * *

Addison walks out of the bathroom only to hear a whimper come from a sleeping Dean. She shoots Sam a concerned look as she walks over to the bed. They both had been growing worried about the number of nightmares Dean seemed to be having. "Dean," Addison says, shaking his shoulder. "Dean, get up."

Dean's eyes snap open. "What," he replies, swatting Addison's hand away. "I'm up."

"Sleep well," Sam asks him.

"Yeah," Dean answers, taking a swig from the whiskey bottle on the floor. "Tan, rested, and ready."

Sam scoffs. "Dean, come on, man. You think we can't see it?"

"See what?"

"The nightmares and the drinking," Addison softly replies. "Dean, we're with you twenty-four seven. We know when something's wrong."

Dean shoots her annoyed look. “Addison—"

"Uriel wasn't lying, but you are," Sam argues. "You remember Hell, don't you?"

Dean looks at his older brother. "What do you want from me, huh? What?"

"The truth, Dean. I mean, I'm your brother. I just wish you'd talk to me."

"Careful what you wish for."

"Cute."

Dean stands up, rubbing his face. "Come on, can we stow the couples therapy, huh? We're on a job. I want to work. What do you got? Please?"

Addison sighs. "Well, there's the teddy, lottery guy, and the creepy invisible pervert guy. They've must've wished within the past couple of weeks. But we haven't been able to find who wished first. And it doesn't help when we don't know how long it's been going on."

Dean picks up the paper. In the bottom corner was an engagement announcement. "Well, it helps when they announce it in the paper." He tosses the paper to Sam. "Goes back a month."

"Wesley Mondale and Ms. Hope Lynn Casey have announced their surprise engagement," Sam reads.

"True love."

Sam chuckles. "Best lead we got."

"All right, let me take a leak," Dean says, walking into the bathroom.

When the door slams shut, Sam turns to Addison. She shrugs and stands up. "We can't force him to talk about it, Sam," Addison softly says. She glances at the bathroom. "Besides, I think this is something we're better off not knowing."

* * *

Addison stands on the other side of Dean, putting him in the middle of her and Sam. She knew that Sam didn't agree with her stance, but Addison didn't care. Because she didn't want to know what happened to Dean while he was in Hell. The door opens and Addison snaps out of her thoughts seeing the pretty dark haired woman standing in front of them. "We're the florists that Wesley Mondale called for your wedding," Dean lies.

Hope's eyes widen and she ushers them into the house. "Wes," she calls. "You didn't tell me that you called the florists for the wedding."

They enter the living room to see a nerdy looking man. "Huh," Wes asks, looking between them.

Hope walks over to his and kisses him. "You're the best! I'm gonna go get my folders!"

"Uh, okay," Wes replies, watching her leave the room.

"Wesley, how's it going," Dean asks, stepping towards him.

"It's Wes," he corrects, then frowns. "Aren't you the guys from the health department?"

"We're florists on the side," Addison responds.

"Plus FBI. And on Thursdays, we're teddy bear doctors," Dean finishes. A confused look appears on Wes face. "Doesn't matter who we are. What matters is what we know."

Sam motions to the various framed coins hanging on the wall. "So, coin collector, huh, Wes?"

"Oh. Yeah. My grandfather gave them to me," Wes explains.

"Did you happen to lose one of those coins lately," Dean casually asks. "And by 'lose', I mean drop into a wishing well at Lucky Chen's and make a wish on it?"

"No. I - I don't know what you're, uh, talking about."

"Okay, now. I have a lot of ideas, but you know, we don't have all the money in the world," Hope says, walking back into the living room. She carried a thick binder filled with cut outs from various magazines. Addison walks over to her. "Wes is between jobs right now. Means more time for me. You know, I'm thinking a Japanese ikebana kind of thing."

"I'm sure we'll be able to come with something to greatly resemble that with your budget," Addison says. "How did you and Wes meet?"

"Oh, it was the best day of my life," Hope dreamily says.

"I bet," Dean mutters and Addison shoots him a glare.

"Yeah! It's the funniest thing. We both grew up here, but I never really knew who he was. Not by name anyway. Until one day last month, it was like I just...I just saw him for the first time. He was just...glowing. Oh, just glowing."

"Uh, babe, can you get us some coffee," Wes asks.

"Yeah, anything, yeah." The trio awkwardly stands there as Hope kisses Wes. Eventually, Wes pulls back and Hope walks out of the living room.

"Wes, we know," Sam says. "So, tell us the truth."

Wes sighs. "My - my grandfather found the coin in North Africa, you know, World War II. And, uh, he brought it back. He, um, he said it was a real wish granting coin, but that nobody should ever use it. Eh...it was all I had and when he died, I thought, 'Well, you know what? Why not give the coin a shot?'"

"Yeah, well, now you're gonna wish it back."

"Ha ha, no, I'm not."

"If you don't stop, something bad's gonna happen," Dean coldly states.

"Something bad. Like us," Sam continues.

"So, we really wish you'd come with us," Addison finishes.

Wes looks between the three hunters and sighs. He grabs his jacket off the back of an arm chair. "Hope, I'm running out to the store real quick," Wes says, then walks out of the house with the trio. Silence settles over the group as they climb into the Impala and take off towards the restaurant. "I don't get it. So, my wish came true. Why does that have to be a bad thing?"

"Because the wishes go south, Wes," Sam tells him. "Your town is going insane."

"Come on. You gonna sit there and tell me that your relationship with Hope is functional," Dean asks. "That's what you wished for?"

"I wished she would love me more than anything," Wes argues.

Sam scoffs. "Yeah, and, uh, how is that going? That seem healthy to you?"

"Well, it's a hell of a lot better than when she didn't know I was alive."

"You're not supposed to get what you want, man, not like this. Nobody is. That's what the coin does. It takes your heart's desires and it twists it back on you. You heard of the whole 'be careful what you wish for,'" Dean says.

Suddenly, the Impala hits a bump. Addison frowns and looks out the back window, but doesn't see anything. "Did we just run over something?"

"I didn't see anything," Dean tells her.

"Careful what you wish for," Wes mocks. "You know who says that? Good looking jerks like you guys, the ones who've got it so easy because you happen to be handsome."

"Easy," the guys disbelievingly repeat.

"Yeah. Women..." Wes motions to Addison, who raises an eyebrow. "Women like her look at you, right? They notice you."

"Believe us, we do not have it easy," Sam informs him.

"We are miserable. We never get what we want. In fact, we have to fight tooth and nail just to keep whatever it is we got," Dean continues.

"But you know what? Maybe that's the whole point, Wes."

"Yeah, people are people cause they're miserable bastards. Cause they never get what they really want."

"Right, yeah, you get what you want, you get crazy."

"Take a look at Michael Jackson, hmm? Or Hasselhoff."

"You know what? Hope loves me now - completely. And it's awesome. Besides, look around. Where's all this, uh, insanity you guys were talking about," Wes asks.

Dean stops the Impala as the little boy he and Addison saw earlier pushes over an SUV. Addison turns to Wes. "That crazy enough for you," she asks.

"Kneel before Todd," the little boys shouts. "Kneel before Todd!"

Dean opens the driver's side door. "I'll handle Todd. You two get Wes to Lucky Chen's."

"Right," Sam says, sliding over to the driver's seat.

It only takes them a couple of minutes to reach Lucky Chen's. Sam parks the Impala across the street and they climb out. "That - that - that kid turned over that car like it was nothing," Wes disbelievingly states.

"There's a life size, drunk teddy bear," Addison tells him. She grabs Wes' arm. "Come on. Fun's over. It's time for you to pull out." Wes pulls his arm out of her grasp. "Wes!"

"Well, why can't we just get what we want?"

"Because that's life, Wes," Sam answers. Out of nowhere, lightening strikes him in the chest and flies backwards.

"Sam," Addison shouts, running over to him. She kneels down, but doesn't touch him. She looks over to see Wes enter the restaurant. Anxiously, she waits. Then suddenly Sam sits up, gasping. Addison lets out a relived sigh. "I'm so glad you're okay." 

Addison pulls back and helps Sam up. They turn to see his sneakers smoking and melted to the pavement. Hope walks out of the restaurant and eyes Sam, but continues down the sidewalk. Wes walks out and reluctantly hands Sam the coin.

* * *

Addison smiles as Audrey walks past her and Dean on the pier, carrying her teddy pair. A couple, that was badly sun burned, follows her. "Well, coin's melted down," Sam says, walking over to them. "It shouldn't cause any more problems."

"Audrey's teddy bear is back to normal and her parents are back from Bali," Addison replies.

"Looks like all the wishes are gone. And so are we," Dean says, standing up. He drops the newspaper on the bench. They start to walk down the pier, but Dean stops. "Hang on a second."

"What," Sam asks, turning to him.

"You were right."

"About what?"

"I shouldn't have lied to you guys. I do remember everything that happened to me in the pit. Everything."

"So, tell me about it."

Dean shakes his head. "No. I won't lie anymore. But I'm not gonna talk about it."

"Dean, look, you can't just shoulder this thing alone. You got to let us help."

"How? Do you really think that a little heart to heart, some sharing and caring, is gonna change anything? Hmm? Somehow...heal me? I'm not talking talking about a bad day here."

"I know that."

"The things that I saw...there aren't words. There is no forgetting. There's no making it better. Because it is right here." Dean points to his head. "Forever. You wouldn't understand. And I could never make you understand. So, I am sorry."

Addison sighs and looks at the ground. She opens her mouth, then closes it. She shakes her head and walks down the pier, leaving the guys standing there.


	8. I Know What You Did Last Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

"Brian, come on, man, just one more. Just - just give me a chance to win it back," Sam says, leaning against the pool table. Addison sighs as she sits at the other end of the table and shoots Dean a look, silently asking him to do something.

Brian the biker shrugs. "It's your cash."

Dean steps up beside Sam. "Excuse me. My brother's a little sauced to be making bets."

"He insisted."

"Yeah, but you've already taken, what, two bills off him? I'm just saying."

Sam pushes Dean away. "Hey, shut up, Dean. I'm fine."

"No, you're not fine. You're drunk!"

Sam slaps a fistful of bills onto the table. "Let's make it five hundred."

"Five hundred," Dean disbelievingly asks.

Brian grins. "Sure. Five hundred. Your break."

Sam looks at Dean, then at Addison. He was sober and it was part of their hustle. He breaks and sinks serval of the balls. Then he spots Ruby across the bar. He stands up and sets the cue on the table. "Keep the money," he says.

Addison stares. That wasn't part of the hustle. She watches as Sam crosses the bar and frowns when she sees the demon. She sighs and exchanges a look with Dean before they follow Sam. “Well, you got a lot of nerve showing up anywhere near me,” Dean coldly greets.

“I just have some info and then I’m gone,” Ruby replies.

“What is it,” Sam asks.

“I’m hearing a few whispers.”

“Ooh,” Dean mocks. “Great, demon whispers. That’s reliable.”

“Girl named Anna Milton escaped from a locked ward yesterday. The demons seem pretty keen on finding her. Apparently, some real heavy hitters turned out for the Easter egg hunt,” Ruby tells them.

“Who is she,” Addison asks.

“No idea. But I’m thinking that she’s important, cause the order is to capture her alive. I just figured that whatever the deal is, you might want to find this girl before the demons do.”

Sam turns to Dean. “Look, maybe we should check it out.”

Dean glares at him, then turns to Ruby. “Actually, we’re working a case, but thanks.”

“What case,” Ruby counters.

“Uh, we’ve got leads. Big leads.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

“Yeah, well, it sure ain’t goose chasing after some chick who, for all we know, doesn’t even exist, just because you say she’s important.”

“Dean,” Addison softly says.

Ruby shrugs. “I’m just delivering the news. You can do whatever you want with it. Far as I’m concerned, I told you, I’m done.” The demon slides off the stool and starts to leave.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Sam says and Ruby looks at him. “This hospital Anna escaped from — it got a name?”

_Twenty-four hours. One day had passed since the hell hounds had come and taken Dean. They had buried him in a wooded area. Bobby had insisted on a hunter funeral pyre but Sam had insisted on a burial. Sam said it was because he was going to bring Dean back while Addison agreed with him. Though deep down, she knew Dean wasn't coming back._

_Addison climbs out of the Impala and runs after Sam. He had been drinking ever since they had left Dean's grave. Sam covers up a small metal box and stands up. "Come on! Where the fuck are you," Sam shouts._

_"Sam, don't do this," Addison begs, grabbing his arm. Sam shoves her away. "Please, don't do this."_

_"I was wondering whether to come or not," a voice greets. They turn to see a Crossroads Demon. He was a man dressed in an expensive suit. "I mean, you shot one of my co-workers. Don't take this the wrong way, Sam, but you don't look so hot, buddy. I guess burying your brother didn't agree with you."_

_"Well," Sam asks, moving towards the demon._

_"Well, let's see that special little knife of yours first."_

_Sam slams the knife onto a wooden crate. "No devil's traps either. I'm not here to play games."_

_The Crossroads Demon place his hands on the crate. "Well, let me guess. You want to make a deal. And round and round the Winchesters go. I'm sorry, Sam. That's not gonna happen.”_

_Sam picks up the knife and stabs the demon in the hand. "I don't want ten years. I don't want one year. I don't want candy! I want to trade places with Dean."_

_"No."_

_"Then take me," Addison blurts out, stepping forward. "Let me trade places with Dean."_

_The Crossroads Demon stares at her for a moment. "No."_

_"Take me," Sam shouts. "It's a fair trade!"_

_"No!"_

_"Why not? Lilith wants me dead. Just let Dean go and she can have me."_

_"Don't you understand, Sam? It's not about your soul or Addison's soul. Dean's in Hell, right where we want him. We've got everything exactly the way we want it. You want to kill me? Go ahead. I've made peace with my lord."_

_Sam yanks the knife out of the demon's hand, then jams it in his throat. Orange flashes come from the demon as Sam pulls the knife out. He turns to Addison, anger in his eyes. "Why would you do that?"_

_"Because if you went to Hell, then Dean would be making another deal to bring you right back. It's a never ending cycle, Sam. And it needs to stop. So, if I have to be the one to stop it, then so be it," Addison softly answers._

Addison shifts in the backseat. Dean kept glancing at her in the rearview mirror ever since they had left the bar. She knew he was curious about why she hadn’t been on his side. ”Can I get a copy of the missing persons report? Great. Okay. Thanks," Sam says, then hangs up his phone. "Well, Anna Milton's definitely real."

"Doesn't mean the case is real. And this hospital's a three day drive," Dean counters.

"Well, we have driven further for less," Addison points out.

Dean shakes his head. Sam stares at him. "You got something to say, say it," he tells him.

"Oh, I'm saying it - this sucks," Dean replies.

"You're not pissed we're going after the girl. You're pissed Ruby threw us the tip."

"Right. Cause as far as you're both concerned, the hell bitch is practically family. Yeah, something major must've happened while I was downstairs. Cause I come back and you're both BFF with a demon?"

"I told you, Dean, she helped us go after Lilith."

"Well, thanks for the thumbnail - real vivid. You want to fill in a little detail?"

Sam glares at his older brother. "Sure, Dean, let's trade stories. You first. How was Hell? Don't spare the details."

Dean tightens his grip on the steering wheel turns his attention back to the road. He glances at Addison and she shoots him a small smile. 

* * *

"Of course, I want to help however I can," the psychiatrist tells them. Addison looks around the hospital room. Everything was white, even the dresser. There were bars and a screen on the window, neither of which had been forced open. 

"Now, the orderly has no recollection of Anna's escape," Sam asks.

"Apparently, she knocked him unconscious. The blow caused some amnesia. He doesn't even remember coming into her room."

"That's a hell of a right hook to knock out a guy that's got eighty pounds on her," Dean comments.

"We think she may have planned this, waited behind the door."

"You mentioned that Anna's illness was recent," Addison states, walking over to them.

The psychiatrist nods. "Two months ago, she was happy, well adjusted, journalism major, lots of friends. She had a bright future."

"So, what happened? She just flipped," Dean asks.

"Well, that's the tragedy of schizophrenia. Within weeks, Anna was overtaken by delusions."

"What kind of delusions," Sam questions.

"She thought demons were everywhere," the psychiatrist answers, handing a sketch book to Sam. Addison looks over as he flips through it. "It's not uncommon for our patients to believe that monsters are real."

"Well, that's - that's just batty," Dean comments.

Addison tenses seeing the words 'Raising of the Witnesses' above one of the drawings. The next page had 'Samhain the next seal is broken' above a drawing of jack o'lanterns. "Revelations," Addison comments.

"Since when does the Book of Revelations have jack o'lanterns," the psychiatrist asks, looking between the three of them.

"It's from a very rare translation."

"Well, Anna's father was a church deacon. When she became ill, her paranoia took on religious overtones. She was convinced the devil was about to rise up and end the world. I hope you find her. It's dangerous for her to be out there alone right now."

Sam nods. "Thank you."

Dean takes the sketch book and holds it up. "Mind if we borrow this?"

_Addison takes a deep breath as she sits down in the hard wooden chair. The window opens, but she doesn't look at the priest through the screen choosing to keep her gaze on the well worn Bible sitting in her lap. "In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. My last confession was six months ago," she softly says. "I had carnal relations with my best friend the day before he died.”_

_"Why Addison Sloan, who knew that you were such a slut," the priest says. Addison turns and tenses when she sees the priest's black eyes. She pushes open the door and starts to run out of the church._

_A body slams her into the floor. She swings her arm back, hoping to hit the demon. But the demon grabs her arm and twists. Addison cries out in pain. She screams when something slices through her left shoulder. Her gaze widens as a cloud of black smoke flies towards her._

The Impala is filled with silence as they drive across town to the home of Anna Milton's parents. It was a simple two story, yellow house. Dean knocks on the door, but there isn't an answer. "Maybe they're not home."

"Both cars in the driveway," Sam replies.

Dean tries the doorknob and discovers it unlocked. Cautiously, the trio enters the home. "Mr. and Mrs. Milton," he calls out.

"We're from the Sheriff's department. We just wanted to ask you a couple of questions," Sam finishes.

"Guys," Addison says. She was standing on the edge of the living room where the bodies of a middle aged couple were laying, with their throats slashed. She spots a powder on the floor near the bodies and carefully kneels down. She touches the powder and sighs. "Sulfur."

"The demons beat us here. Whatever the deal is with this Anna girl—" Sam starts.

"Yeah, they want her. They're not screwing around," Dean interrupts. "All right, so, I'm  _Girl, Interrupted_ , and I know the score of the apocalypse, just busted out of the nut box...possibly using superpowers by the way. Where do I go?"

Sam picks up the picture of the couple and a red headed young woman standing in front of a church. "Hey, you got those drawings from Anna's notebook?"

"Yeah," Dean answers, pulling them out.

Sam shows them the picture. "Check this out."

One of the drawings matched the church window. "She was drawing the window of her church."

"Over and over. If you were religious, scared, and had demons on your ass, where would you go to feel safe?"

* * *

After changing clothes at a local gas station, the trio make their way to Anna's church. They search the entire first floor before making their way up to the second floor, which was mostly a storage area. Sam notices someone hiding in the corner. "Hey," he says, motioning to the person. They put their guns up. "Anna? We're not gonna hurt you. We're here to help. My name is Sam. This is my brother, Dean, and our friend, Addison."

A young red headed woman steps out from behind some box. Her hair was a darker shade than Addison's. She looks between the trio. "Sam? Not Sam Winchester," she asks, cautiously walking towards them.

"Uh, yeah."

Anna turns to Dean. "And you're Dean. The Dean?"

"Well, yeah," Dean replies, shrugging. "The Dean, I guess."

A relived look crosses Anna's face. "It's really you. Oh my God. The angels talk about you. You were in Hell, but Castiel pulled you out and some of them think you can help save us. And some of them don't like you at all. They talk about you all the time lately. I feel like I know."

"You talk to the angels," Addison questions.

"Oh, no. No, no way. Um...they probably don't even know I exist. I just kind of...overhear them."

Addison raises an eyebrow. "Overhear them?"

"Yeah, they talk and sometimes I just...hear them in my head."

"Like...right now," Dean asks.

"No right this second, but a lot. And I can't shut them out, there are so many of them."

"So, they lock you up with a case of the crazies when really you were just...tuning into angel radio?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Anna, when did you the voices start," Sam asks. "Do you remember?"

"I can tell you exactly. September 18th."

Dean turns to Sam and Addison. "The day I got out of Hell."

"First words I heard, clear as a bell - 'Dean Winchester is saved.'"

"What do you think?"

Addison shrugs. "It's above my pay grade, man," Sam tells him.

"Well, at least now we know why the demons want you so bad. They get a hold of you, they can hear everything the other side's cooking. You're 1-900-angel."

"Hey, um, do you know...are my parents okay," Anna nervously asks. "I - I didn't go home. I was afraid."

None of them get a chance to answer when Ruby barges into the room. "You got the girl. Good, let's go."

"Her face," Anna screams, backing away.

"It's okay. She's here to help," Sam reassures.

"Yeah, don't be so sure about that," Dean argues.

"We have to hurry," Ruby insists.

"Why?"

"Because a demon's coming - big timer. We can fight later, Dean."

"Well, that's pretty convenient - howing up right when we find the girl with some bigwig on your tail?"

"I didn't bring him here. You did."

"What?"

"He followed you from the girl's house. We got to go. Now."

"Guys," Addison says, motioning to a statue of the Virgin Mary. Blood had started to drip from it's eyes.

"It's too late. He's here."

Sam grabs Anna drags her into a small closet. "Okay. Stay in there. Don't move." He walks back over to them, pulling out a flask.

"No, Sam, you got to pull him right away," Ruby tells him.

"Whoa, hold on a sec," Dean begins.

"Now's not the time to bellyache about Sam going dark side. He does his thing, he exorcises that demon or we die."

Sam hands Addison the flask as heavy footsteps walk towards the room. The door slams open and the demon enters the room. Sam holds out his hand and concentrates. But the demon keeps walking towards them. "That tickles. You don't have the juice to take me on, Sam." Suddenly, Sam's thrown across the room. Addison splashes holy water at the demon, but nothing happens. The demon chuckles and tosses her into a wall. Addison groans and slowly sits up. Dean fights the demon, but the demon gets the upper hand by knocking Dean onto the ground. "Hello again, Dean." Dean remains silent, staring up the demon. "Come on, Dean. Don't you recognize me? Oh, I forgot - I'm wearing a pediatrician. But we were so close in Hell."

"Alastair," Dean states.

Sam runs up behind Alastair and stabs him in the back with Ruby's knife. "You're gonna have to try a whole lot harder than that, son," Alastair mocks. Sam pulls Dean up and they look at the stained glass window behind them.

Addison watches as they run and jump out of the window. She looks behind her to see a small window. Slowly, she pushes up the window. Alastair turns, a smirk on his face. He starts towards her. Addison climbs out of the window. She groans as she lands on the hard ground. Addison stands up and runs over to the Impala. The boys were standing at the trunk, gathering weapons. "Ads," Dean breathes, pulling her into a tight embrace.

* * *

Addison holds in the groan as she pulls on her tank top. Her ribs had been badly bruised and she felt lucky that none of the felt broken. She walks out of the bathroom to find Dean standing in front of the mirror, washing his face off. "Are you almost done," Dean asks Sam, who was sitting on the bed sewing up a cut on his bicep.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Sam replies, not looking up.

Dean grabs a whiskey bottle of the table and takes a swig. "Good cause you know I got a dislocated shoulder over here."

"Yeah. I'll pop it back when I'm finished."

Addison grabs the bottle out of his hand and takes a long gulp. Coughing she hands the bottle to Sam, then sits down on one of the beds. "You okay, Ads," Dean asks.

"Bruised," Addison answers, then winces. “Badly bruised. But fine other wise.”

Dean turns to Sam. "So, you lost the magic knife huh?"

"Yeah, saving your ass," Sam replies.

"Dean, who's Alastair," Addison asks.

Dean glances at her. "No one good. We got to find Anna."

"Ruby's got her. I'm sure she's okay," Sam responds, standing up. He walks over to Dean and pops his shoulder back into the place.

Dean grunts and he sits down next to Addison. "You sure about Ruby? Cause I think it's just as likely she used us to find radio girl and then brought that demon in to kill us."

"No, she took Anna to keep her safe."

"Yeah? Well, why hasn't she called to tell us where she is?"

Addison sighs. "Probably because that demon is watching us. He's probably waiting so he can follow us to Anna. I bet it's why he let us go."

Dean scoffs. "You call this letting us go, Ads?"

"Yeah."

"Look, killing us would've been no problem to that thing," Sam states, sitting down across from them. "That's why, for now, we just got to lay low and wait for Ruby to contact us."

"How's she gonna do that? Why do you two trust her so much?"

"I told you."

"You got to do better than that. Hey, and I'm not trying to pick a fight here. I mean, I really want to understand. But I need to know more. I mean, I deserve to know more."

Sam sighs. "Because...she saved my life."

_Sam drunkenly stumbles into the motel room. Addison had left that morning, saying that she was going to a nearby church. She had asked him to join her, but Sam turned her down in favor of spending the day in a bar. A body slams him against the wall and he looks down to see Addison pressed against him. “Ads—"_

_She reaches behind him as a man steps out of the shadows. Ruby's knife was in her hand. "Thanks for keeping this warm for me, Sam."_

_Sam stares at her. Addison's normal brown eyes flash back and he tenses. "Ruby."_

_Ruby places the knife against his throat. "It's nice to be back. Where I was, even for Hell, it was nasty. I guess I really pissed Lilith off. Imagine my relief when she gave me one last chance to take it topside. And all I had to do was find you and kill you."_

_Sam closes his eyes, defeated. ”Fine. Go ahead! Do it."_

_Ruby stares at him for a second, then turns and stabs the other demon in the throat. Sam looks at her in disbelief. "Grab your keys. We got to go. Now!"_

* * *

_"You know what sounds good," Ruby asks, breaking the silence in the Impala. Sam tightens his grip in the steering wheel. "French fries. I'm starving. I just escaped Hell. I deserve a treat." Ruby looks at him. "You know, a 'thank you' would be nice."_

_"Who asked for your help," Sam coldly snaps._

_"You have no idea what I've been through. When Lilith gets pissed, she gets creative. You want to hear about the corners of Hell I've seen, Sam?"_

_"No, I don't."_

_"And the things I had to do to convince her I was sorry? That I could be trusted?"_

_"Well, this definitely gets you a fat Christmas bonus."_

_"Very funny. I'm a fugitive for you, Sam. I took this risk to get back to you, so yeah, I deserve a damn 'thank you.'"_

_"Who asked you to save me?"_

_"I'm just trying to help."_

_"Can you help me save Dean?"_

_"No," Ruby admits after a moment. "Nothing I know of is powerful enough to do that."_

_Sam stops the Impala in the middle of the road. "Get out of her."_

_“Sam—"_

_"Or I'll send you back to Hell."_

_Normal brown eyes turn black. He hated seeing her eyes like that. Her mouth opens and smoke flies out of her mouth. Addison's body slumps against the seat. Sam watches as her chest rises up and down. He pulls her jacket and shirt to the side then looks at her anti-possession tattoo. A deep angry cut had destroyed the tattoo on her left shoulder. "Sam." He looks up to see her awake. "What happened," Addison tiredly asks. "Did you pick me up from church?"_  

_He fixes her jacket and shirt before pulling her against his side. Sam kisses the side of her head. "Get some rest."_

* * *

_Addison whimpers as Sam stitches up her shoulder. They were currently squatting in an abandoned house on the outskirts of a small town. A knock comes from the door and Addison covers up with a stolen motel towel. Sam grabs a shot gun off the table and walks over to the door. He opens it to reveal a dark haired woman. She holds up a piece of paper. "Proof. This body is one hundred percent socially conscious," the woman says, walking past him. "I recycle. Al Gore would be proud."_

_Addison stands up. "Ruby."_

_Ruby smirks at her. "You grabbed a coma patient," Sam disbelievingly asks, closing the door._

_Ruby turns to him. "You didn't want me to take a body with someone in it and I made sure that the spirit was gone. Apartment was empty. You happy?"_

_"What are you doing here," Addison coldly asks._

_Ruby sighs. ”Look, I can't bring Dean back. But I can get you something else that you want."_

_"What?"_

_"Lilith."_

_"You want me to use my psychic whatever," Sam states._

_"Look, I know that it spooks you—"_

_"Skip the speech. I'm ready. Let's go."_

_"Sam, no," Addison says. "You're not using—"_

_"Just tell me what I have to do," Sam tells the demon, ignoring Addison._

_"Look, Lilith is one scary bitch. When I was in the pit, there was talk. She's cooking up something big - apocalyptic big," Ruby explains._

_"So, let's kill her."_

_"You want to go in there and half ass it like before? We have the time to get it right. Let's get it right."_

_"Okay. What do you want from me?"_

_"Well, a little patience...and sobriety. Promise me that and I will teach you everything I know._

_"No," Addison says, stepping in between the demon and Sam. "Get out. Now. Or I kill you."_

_"Call me when you're ready, Sam," Ruby tells him, then walks out of the house._

_“Addison—" Sam begins._

_Addison turns to him. "You're not doing this. I'm not letting you do this. Besides, Dean wouldn't want you to do this."_

_"I'm doing this for Dean, Addison! We can't bring him back, so the next best thing is to kill Lilith!"_

_"I'm not gonna let you do this, Sam!"_

_Sam pushes her against the wall. "I'm doing this with or without you, Ads. There's nothing you can say or do to make me change my mind."_

_Addison looks up at him. She knew he was right. The only person that could change his mind was gone. Her shoulders slump in defeat. "Just promise me that you'll be careful," she softly says._

* * *

_Addison sighs as she climbs out of Ruby’s Mustang, holding a tray of drinks and a bag of food from a local diner. She had left Sam and the demon alone while she picked up some dinner. She still didn’t agree with Sam working with Ruby on his psychic powers, but she had given up on trying to change his mind. Juggling the drinks and food, Addison opens the front door of the abandoned house they had been staying in for the past couple of weeks. She pauses hearing the unmistakable sounds of sex._

_Taking a deep breath, Addison moves further down the hallway. Reaching the living room, she freezes. Ruby was on her hands and knees with Sam thrusting into her. The drinks and food fall from Addison’s hands and she runs out of the house. She collapses on the ground and empties her stomach. Shivering, Addison climbs into the Impala and speeds down the road._

_Hours later, Addison’s sitting in the back of a church. She’s clutching her rosary and her old worn Bible is sitting on her lap. A throat clears and she looks up to see a priest. “Oh, I’m sorry, Father,” she says, standing up “I - I didn’t realize—”_

_“It’s quite alright,” the priest interrupts, sitting down. He motions for her to sit and she does. “I’m Father George. And you are…”_

_“Addison.”_

_Father George smiles. “Child of Adam. So, what brings you here tonight, Addison?”_

_Addison shifts. “My friend, Dean, died last month. And since then his brother Sam has gotten close to this woman, who’s a bad influence.”_

_“I’m guessing Dean was much more than a friend.”_

_“Yeah. He was my best friend. I love — loved him.”_

_“And you want to take care of Sam.”_

_“Well, as best as I can. He’s an adult, he’s gonna do what he wants.”_

_“The only thing you can do, is to be there for him. I’m sure he’s grieving as much as you are. One day, he’ll realize what he’s done and he’ll need someone on his team.”_

_“And what do I do until then, Father?"_  

_Father George taps her Bible. “When times are rough, you turn to this book. It’ll get you through anything.”_

* * *

_Sam jumps up from the old couch when he hears the familiar rumble of the Impala. It had been during the night when he had seen the drinks and food on the floor that he had realized that Addison had seen him with Ruby. He walks out of the house as Addison climbs out of the Impala. “Look, Ads—”_

_“Who you sleep with is none of my business,” Addison interrupts. She holds out a cup of coffee and he takes it. “But next time you do, can you not do it the community areas?”_

_Sam sets the cup on the hood and pulls Addison tight embrace. “God, Ads, I’m sorry you had to see that.”_

_“It’s okay. Just no community areas from now on.”_

“Sam,” Dean says, causing his younger brother to look at him.

“Yeah,” Sam replies.

“Too much information.”

“Hey, I told you I was coming clean.”

“Yeah, but now I feel dirty. Okay, well, uh, brain stabbing imagery aside—”

“At least you didn’t walk in on it,” Addison tells him.

Dean shakes his head. “So far, all you’ve told me about is a manipulative bitch who, uh, possessed Ads, screwed you, played mind games with you, and did everything in the book to get you to go bad.”

Sam sighs. “Yeah, well, there’s more to the story.”

“Just skip the nudity, please.”

”Pretty soon after that...I put together some signs...Omens."

"Saying what?"

"Lilith was in town. And I wanted to strike her first."

_"You're not ready yet," Ruby says, watching Sam shoves weapons into a duffle bag. Addison sat on the couch, watching Sam._

_"It's now or never," Sam states._

_"No, we got to wait until you get it right. You haven't been too successful."_

_Sam picks up Ruby's knife. "All right, I'll use this."_

_Ruby shakes his head. "Stop. You can't just fly in there reckless, Sam. We need you to take the bitch out."_

_"Oh, I'll take her out all right."_

_"You get one shot and you're it. You're the only one who can do it, Sam. So if she kills you first..."_

_"What?"_

_Ruby stares up at him. "You don't want to survive this."_

_Sam scoffs. "Come on."_

_"It's a kamikaze attack. You want to die fighting Lilith."_

_"That's stupid."_

_"No, it's the truth because if you kill her and you survive this, then you have to go on without your brother! This isn't what Dean would've wanted. This isn't what he died for," Ruby argues, moving in front of the door._

_"Get out of my way," Sam angrily says._

_"No, Sam. This is suicide!" Sam shoves her to the side, knife at the demon's throat. Ruby remains there, watching as he walks out of the house. She walks into the living room. "He's going on a suicide mission and you're just sitting there! Do something!" Addison remains silent. Ruby bitterly laughs. "God, you're pathetic."_

_Addison rolls her eyes and stands up. “You can either come with me and help me cover Sam’s ass or you can leave and never come back.”_

* * *

_Addison and Ruby burst into the house they had followed Sam to. “Take the girl and run,” Ruby shouts, as she scoops her knife off the floor. Sam and Addison usher the little girl out of the house. A demon slams a fist into Ruby’s face and she stumbles back, dropping the knife._

_“Ruby, you’re in so much trouble. When we get you down the basement — the things we’re gonna do to you,” the demon threatens. The demon coughs up black smoke and Ruby sees Sam standing in the doorway. His hand was outstretched and his eyes were closed. The black smoke flies out of the body and goes through the floor._

_“Sam,” Ruby breathlessly says._

_“I’m okay. Thanks,” Sam says as Addison walks back into the house. He shoots her a thankful smile and she smiles back._

Addison sits at the table, remaining silent. Dean glances at her, but turns his attention on Sam. "Ruby came back for me," Sam says. "Whatever you have to say, she saved me that night. More than that, she got through to me. What she said to me...it's what you would've said. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here."

A knock comes from the door. "Housekeeping," a voice calls.

"Not now," Dean shouts back.

"Sir, I've got clean towels."

Addison rolls her eyes and stands up. She opens the door and tensely smiles at the maid. "Thank you," she says, taking the towels.

The maid pushes past Addison into the motel room. She walks right over to Sam and holds out a piece of paper. "I'm at this address."

Sam stares in confusion. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Go now. Go through the bathroom window, don't stop. Don't take your crap. Don't pass go. There are demons in the hallway and in the parking lot."

"Ruby?"

"Okay, yes, so I'm possessing this maid for a hot minute. Sue me."

"What about—"

"Coma girl? Slowly rotting on the floor back at the cabin with Anna, so I've got to hurry back. See you when you get there. Go!"

* * *

The trio enters the cabin to find Ruby standing by a chair that Anna was sitting in. "Glad you could make it," the demon greets.

"Yeah, thanks," Sam replies.

Addison turns to Anna. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think so. Ruby's not like other demons. She saved my life," Anna replies.

"Yeah, I hear she does that," Dean says. He turns to Ruby. "I guess I...you know."

"What," Ruby asks, smirking.

"I guess I owe you for...Sam. And I just want...you know..."

Ruby rolls her eyes. "Don't strain yourself."

"Okay, then. Is the moment over?" The demon nods. "Good, cause that was awkward."

"Any kind of emotion is awkward for you," Addison mutters, ignoring the look Dean sends her.

"Hey, Sam, you think it'd be safe to make a quick call, just to tell my parents I'm okay? They must be completely freaked," Anna says.

"Uh..." Sam exchanges looks with Dean and Addison.

"What?"

"Anna, um...your parents..."

"What about them?"

"Anna, we're sorry," Addison softly tells her.

"No, they're not..."

"We're sorry."

Anna shakes her head, tears forming. "Why is this happening to me?"

"I don't know," Sam answers.

Anna freezes. "They're coming."

"Back room," Dean orders. Sam leads Anna into the back room as Addison and Ruby step up next to him.

"Where's the knife," Ruby asks, looking between them.

Addison winces. "Yeah, about that..."

A disbelieving look appears on the demon's face. "You're kidding."

Sam walk out of the back room. "Sam lost it," Addison quickly says.

Sam shoots Addison an unamused look. "Thanks a lot, Ads."

Ruby scoffs. "Great. Just peachy. Impeccable timing, guys, really."

The door rattles. They step back as it flies open. And they let out a breath seeing that it was Castiel and Uriel. "Please tell me you're here to help. We've been having demon issues all day," Dean tells them.

Uriel glares at Ruby. "Well, I can see that. You want to explain why you have that stain in the room?"

"We're here for Anna," Castiel states.

"Here for her like...here for her," Dean asks, looking between the angels.

"Stop talking. Give her to us," Uriel demands.

Addison frowns. "Are you gonna help her?"

"No," Castiel replies. "She has to die."


	9. Heaven and Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Addison's gaze widens. She stares at the angels. She knew that angels could be wrathful, but it made no sense to kill Anna. "You want Anna," Sam asks, breaking the stunned silence. He steps forward. "Why?"

"Out of the way," Uriel demands.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay, I know she's wiretapping your angel chats or whatever, but it's no reason to gank her," Dean argues.

"Don't worry. I'll kill her gentle."

Dean scoffs. "You're some heartless sons of bitches, you know that?"

"As a matter of fact, we are," Castiel agrees. "And?"

"But Anna's innocent," Addison states.

Castiel turns his cold blue gaze on her. "She is far from innocent."

"What do you mean?"

"It means she's worse than this abomination you've been hanging out with," Uriel angrily states. "Now, give us the girl."

"Sorry. Get yourself another one. Try JDate," Dean says.

Uriel glares at him. "Who's gonna stop us? You three? Or this demon whore?" He wraps a hand around Ruby's throat and throws the demon across the room. Dean tosses a punch in the angel's direction but Uriel dodges it.

Addison moves backwards as Castiel moves towards the direction of the room Anna was hiding in. She ducks around Sam and slams the door shut behind her. Her gaze widens as Anna draws a strange symbol on the mirror. A thump comes from the other side of the door. Anna slams a bloody palm down on the symbol a bright flash comes from under the door. Addison stares at Anna for a second, then rips open the door. Sam was passed out on the floor while Dean was helping Ruby up.

"Are they - are they gone," Anna weakly asks, leaning against the dresser.

"Yeah," Addison breathes, walking back over to her. Anna's wrists were cut and Addison grabs a old sheet of the bed, ripping it into strips. "Are they dead?"

"No. I sent them away...far away."

"How?"

Anna motions to the symbol as Addison wraps a strip around her wrist. "That just popped in my head. I don't know how I did it. I just did it."

A groan causes Addison to turn and she sees Sam pushing himself up. Dean pulls him up and the trio exchanges a look. "Stay here," Addison tells Anna, then walks out of the room with the guys.

"What do you think," Dean asks, looking between Sam and Addison.

"I think Anna's getting more interesting by the second," Sam replies.

"Yeah, I agree. And what did they mean by 'she's not innocent?'"

"Guys, either way, the angels want her. Anna may have gotten rid of them for now, using that blood banishing thing, but they are gonna come back. So, we need to get somewhere safe," Addison tells them and the guys exchange a look.

* * *

Addison collapses onto the couch in Bobby's living room with a sigh. She and Sam had went to retrieve the Impala while Dean and Ruby had went straight to Bobby's with Anna. Neither she or Sam had spoken during the drive. Instead, Addison went over every inch of the file they had gotten from the hospital that Anna had been in. "How's the car," Dean asks, entering the living room behind Sam.

"It's fine," Addison replies. "Where's Bobby?"

"The Dominican. He said we break anything, we buy it."

"He working a job," Sam questions.

"God, I hope so. Otherwise, he's hedonism in a banana hammock and a trucker cap."

Addison scrunches her nose as the image pops into her mind. "Thanks for that, Dean."

"What did you guys find on Anna?"

"Uh, not much," Sam answers. "Her parents were Rich and Amy Milton - a church deacon and a housewife."

"Riveting."

Addison shrugs, standing up. "Yeah, but it wasn't her first trip on the crazy train. Apparently when she was two, Anna would freak out when ever her dad got close to her. She was convince that he wasn't her real dad."

"Who was? The plumber, hmm? A little snaking the pipes?"

"Dude, you're confusing reality with porn again," Sam tells him.

"Well, Anna didn't say who she thought her biological father was. All she would say was that he was uber pissed off. Like so mad that he wanted to kill her," Addison finishes.

"Kind of heavy for a two year old," Dean points out.

"Yeah. But she saw a child psychologist and proceeded to have a normal life."

"Until now. So, what's she hiding?"

"Why don't you just ask me to my face?"

The trio turns to see Anna standing in the doorway of the kitchen with Ruby behind her. "Nice job watching her," Dean tells the demon.

Ruby shrugs. "I'm watching her."

Sam sighs. "No, you're right, Anna. Is there anything you want to tell us?

"About what," Anna counters.

"The angels said you were guilty of something. Why would they say that?"

"You tell me. Tell me why my life has been leveled...why my parents are dead. I don't know. I swear, I would give anything to know."

"Okay. Then let's find out."

* * *

Addison leans against the panic room door. She had stood back while Dean had lead Pamela into the basement. And she had even found the psychic's flirtation with Sam amusing. But now, Anna was laying on the bed in the panic room. Dean and Sam were standing inside, right near the door. Ruby stood a couple of feet behind Addison.

"Nice and relaxed," Pamela begins. "Now, I'm going to count down from five to zero. When we're at zero, you'll be in a deep state of hypnosis. As I count down, just go deeper and deeper, okay?" Anna nods, keeping her eyes closed. "Five...four...three...two...one. Deep sleep. Deep sleep. Every muscle calm and relaxed. Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," Anna replies.

"Now, Anna, tell me, how can you hear the angels? How did you work that spell?"

"I don't know. I just did."

"Your father...what's his name," Pamela questions.

"Rich Milton."

"All right. But I want you to look further back. When you were very young. Just a couple of years old."

"I don't want to."

"It'll be okay. Anna, just one look. That's all we need."

"No."

"What's your dad's name? Your real dad. Why is he angry at you?"

Anna shakes her head. "No! No!"

"Calm down."

"He's gonna kill me!"

"Anna, you're safe. Calm down."

The lights burst. "He's gonna kill me," Anna screams.

"Anna," Pamela asks. Dean walks over and moves to calm Anna down, but Pamela shakes her head. "Dean, don't." Suddenly, Anna throws Dean across the room. "Wake in one, two, three, four, five. Anna." Silence fills the room. "Anna? You all right?"

Anna sits up, a calm look on her face. "Thank you, Pamela. That helps a lot. I remember now."

"Remember what," Addison asks.

"Who I am," Anna answers.

"I'll buy it," Dean replies, frowning. "Who are you?"

"I'm an angel."

Everyone tenses. Addison sighs as Dean moves into the panic room and helps Pamela up. The group makes their way upstairs to Bobby’s den.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not like the others," Anna states as Dean helps Pamela over to an arm chair.

"I don't find that very reassuring," Ruby counters, leaning against the doorway that lead to the kitchen.

"Neither do I," Pamela says.

"So...Castiel, Uriel...they're the ones that came for me," Anna asks.

Addison raises an eyebrow. "Did you know them?"

"We were kind of in the same foxhole."

"So, they were your boss?"

"Try the other way around."

Dean chuckles. "Look at you."

"But now they want to kill you," Pamela questions.

"Orders are orders. I'm sure I have a death sentence on my head," Anna explains.

"Why," Sam asks.

"I disobeyed, which, for us, is about the worst thing you can do. I fell."

"Meaning," Dean asks.

“She fell to Earth, became human,” Pamela explains.

Sam frowns. "Wait a minute. I don't understand. So, angels can just become human?"

"It kind of hurts. Try cutting your kidney out with a butter knife," Anna explains. "That kind of hurt. I ripped out my grace."

Dean stares in disbelief. "Come again?"

"My grace. It's...my energy. Hacked it out and fell. My mother, Amy, couldn't get pregnant. Always called me her little miracle. She had no idea how right she was."

"So, you just forgot that you were God's little Power Ranger?"

"The older I got, the longer I was human, yeah."

"I don't think you all appreciate how completely screwed we are," Ruby points out.

"Ruby's right. Heaven wants me dead," Anna agrees.

"And Hell just wants her. A flesh and blood angel that you can question, torture, that bleeds. Sister, you're the Stanley Cup. And sooner or later, Heaven or Hell, they're gonna find you."

Anna nods. "I know. And that's why I'm gonna get it back."

"What," Sam disbelievingly asks.

"My grace."

Addison raises an eyebrow. "You can put that back in?"

"If I can find it."

"So, what, you're just gonna take some divine bong hit, and, shazam, you're Roma Downey," Dean asks her.

Anna shrugs. "Something like that."

“All right. I like this plan. So, where's this grace of yours?"

"Lost track. I was falling about ten thousand miles per hour at the time."

Sam frowns. "Wait, you mean falling, like, literally?"

"Yes."

"Like the way a human eye can see? Like a comet maybe or a meteor?"

Anna stares at him, confused. "Why do you ask?"

* * *

"Uh, here. In March '85, a meteorite vanished in the night sky over northwestern Ohio,” Sam says. He was sitting at Bobby’s desk, with books and maps spread out over it. “It was sighted nine months before Anna was born and she was born in that part of Ohio."

"You're pretty buff for a nerd," Ruby comments.

"So, if that was Anna, where's her grace," Addison asks.

"Same time - another meteor was over Kentucky," Sam replies.

"Well, the entire state of Kentucky is better than nothing."

"Sam, I'm sorry," Ruby suddenly says.

Sam shoots Addison a confused look before turning to the demon. "For what?"

"For bringing you this mess. If I had known, I would have kept my trap shut."

"Yeah, well, we'll muddle through."

Ruby shakes her head. "Not this time. You do not want to get between these two armies. It's Godzilla and Mothra. If one side doesn't get us, the other one will."

"So, what do you want to do? Dump Anna and run? Forget it. Look, I know the angels freak you out."

"Forget the angels. It's Alastair I'm scared of."

Addison sits up. She was curious about the demon. "Alastair?"

"You guys met him the church. Practically the grand inquisitor downstairs. Picasso with a razor."

"And," Sam questions.

"And you should pull him out and throw him back in the pit...if you weren't so out of shape."

Sam sighs. "Ruby..."

"No, your abilities - you're getting flabby."

"Yeah, so how do I tone up?"

Ruby moves towards him. "You know how. You know what you got to do."

Sam shakes his head. "No, I'm not doing that anymore."

"Sam..."

"I said no."

"Well, then you better pray that Anna gets her groove back or we're all dead," Ruby counters before walking out of the living room.

Addison rubs her face. "We should start trying to narrow down where Anna's grace landed."

Sam turns to her. “Ads—"

“You’re an adult and you can make your own choices,” Addison softly says, opening her laptop.

Sam sighs. “I haven’t had any in weeks. I don’t do that anymore.” Addison shoots him a small smile and turns to her computer. 

* * *

Dean glances in the backseat and laughs. They were currently driving to Union, Kentucky, a place Sam had found that might have been where Anna's grace landed. "What," Ruby snaps from where she was squeezed in between Anna and Addison.

"Nothing," Dean replies, grinning. "It's just an angel, a demon, and a Catholic schoolgirl riding in the backseat. It's like the setup to a bad joke...or a Penthouse forum letter."

"Dude...reality," Sam says, motioning to the review mirror. "Porn."

"You call this reality?"

"Dean, pull over," Addison suddenly says.

"What? Why?"

"Cause I really gotta pee.”

“Why didn’t you go before we left?”

“I did! I can’t help that I have to pee, asshat.”

Dean rolls his eyes and pulls over on the side of the road. Addison opens the door and he frowns when she looks through a bag. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for a flashlight,” Addison answers. “I’m not getting poison ivy all over my ass.”

Dean rolls his eyes once more. Addison climbs out of the car, with her flashlight in one hand and her bag in the other. “Hurry up! We don’t have all night,” he tells her. Addison throws a cardboard box at him and he groans as she walks towards the woods. He tosses the tampon box at Sam. “At least we know why she’s extra bitchy.”

“I heard that,” Addison shouts.

Dean throws his hands and he notices the amused look on Sam’s face. “What?”

Sam shakes his head. “Nothing.”

* * *

Addison puts on her sunglasses before following the group through the field. It was mostly empty except for the massive tree in the middle. "It's beautiful," Dean comments, looking at the tree.

"It's where the grace touched down," Anna says, walking towards the tree. "I can feel it."

"You ready to do this?"

"Not really."

"What are we supposed to be looking for," Addison asks.

Anna touches the tree and sadly sighs. "It doesn't matter. It's not here. Not anymore. Someone took it."

* * *

"We still have the hex bags. I say we head back to the panic room," Dean says, walking around the empty barn. They had retreated to a nearby barn to regroup and to figure out what to do.

"What, forever," Ruby asks.

"I'm just thinking out loud!"

"Oh, you call that thinking?"

"I'm with Dean on this one," Addison says. "Going seems like the safer option."

"No, it's a fucking stupid idea," Ruby argues, stepping towards Addison.

"It's better than anything we got.”

"Hey," Sam shouts, moving in between the demon and hunter. "Hey, hey, hey. Stop it."

"Anna's grace is gone. You understand? She can't angel up. She can't protect us. We can't fight Heaven and Hell. One side maybe, but not both. Not at once," Ruby tells them.

"Um, guys," Anna says. "The angels are talking again."

"What are they saying," Sam asks her.

"It's weird. Like a recording...a loop. It says 'Dean Winchester gives us Anna by midnight or...'"

"Or what," Dean questions.

Anna sighs. "'Or we hurl him back to damnation.'"

"Anna, do you know of any weapon that works on an angel," Sam asks.

"To what? To kill them," Anna replies and Sam nods. "Nothing we could get to. Not right now."

"Okay, wait, wait. I say we call Bobby. We get him back from hedonism," Dean says.

"Dean, what's he gonna tell us that we don't already know," Sam argues.

"I don't know, but we got to think of something," Dean exclaims, then walks out of the barn.

* * *

Addison yawns as she walks towards the Impala. She pulls her coat close, trying to block out the cold. She stops seeing the windows on the Impala fogged up and the light rocking. She stands there for a moment, then turns and makes her way back into the barn. “Hey,” Sam tiredly greets when she sits down next to him. “Where’s Dean?”

“With Anna. In the Impala,” Addison softly says.

Sam tugs her down and she curls into his side. “One day he’ll realize what’s right in front of him.”

“Maybe. It’s probably healthier if I just move on. Find a nice guy, maybe a doctor or an investment banker.”

Sam chuckles. “No lawyers?”

“No. Been there, done that.”

“Give it time, Ads.”

“Yeah, but I like to have a kid one day. Sooner rather than later. I mean, I’m almost thirty.”

Sam wraps an arm around her shoulders and places a kiss to the top of her head. “Give it time, Ads.”

* * *

Addison sighs as she sits down on some hay. They were all in the barn, with the exception of Ruby. They had a plan even through Addison wasn't as confidante as the rest of them. "I don't know, man. Where's Ruby," Sam asks.

"Hey, she's your hell buddy," Dean responds, taking a swig from a flask.

"Little early for that isn't it," Anna asks, watching Dean hold out the flask to Addison, who shakes her head.

“It’s two a.m. somewhere,” Dean replies.

"You okay," Anna asks Dean.

"Yeah, of course," Dean answers.

The doors burst open and Addison stands up. Castiel and Uriel stride into the barn. "Hello, Anna. It's good to see you," Castiel says.

"How did you find us," Addison asks. The angels glance at Dean. "Dean?"

"I'm sorry," Dean tells them.

"Why," Sam asks.

"Because they gave him a choice. They either kill me...or kill you. I know how their minds work," Anna explains. She turns and softly kisses Dean. "You did the best you could. I forgive you." Anna steps towards Castiel and Uriel. "Okay. No more tricks. No more running. I'm ready."

"I'm sorry," Castiel says.

"No, you're not. Not really. You don't know the feeling."

"Still, we have a history. It's just—"

"Orders are orders. I know. Just make it quick."

"Don't you touch a hair on that poor girl's head." They group turns to see Alastair standing at the other end of the barn with two demons behind him. Ruby limps in behind them, an arm wrapped around her waist.

"How dare you come in this room, you pussing sore," Uriel angrily says.

"Name calling. That hurts my feelings, you sanctimonious, fanatical prick."

"Turn around and walk away now," Castiel coldly says.

"Sure. Just give us the girl. We'll make sure she gets punished good and proper."

"You know who we are and what we will do. I won't say it again. Leave now or we lay you to waste."

Alastair sneers. "Think I'll take my chances."

Addison quickly moves back as the angels and demon break out into a fight. Her gaze widens when Uriel places a hand on a demons head and a light flashes. She looks to see Castiel put his hand on Alastair's head, but nothing happens.

"Sorry, kiddo. Why don't you go run to Daddy," Alastair mocks, wrapping a hand around Castiel's throat. He starts chanting, causing a white light to come from Castiel's eyes. Dean runs up behind them and slams a crowbar on the demon’s back. Alastair drops Castiel turns to Dean. "Dean, Dean, Dean, I am so disappointed. You had such promise."

Anna runs up to Uriel and grabs a vial from around his neck. "No," the angel screams.

Anna smashes the vial on the ground. "Shut your eyes! Shut your eyes!"

Addison snaps her eyes close and holds up her arm. Behind her eyelids, she can see faint traces of a bright light. Then it's gone. She opens her eyes to see the demons, save for Ruby, and Anna were gone. "Well, what are you guys waiting for," Dean coldly asks Castiel and Uriel. "Go get Anna. Unless, of course, you're scared."

Uriel glares at him. "This isn't over."

"Oh, it looks over to me, junkless."

The angels disappear and Addison lets out a deep breath. She watches as Sam helps Ruby stand up. "Where the hell were you," Addison asks the demon, walking over to Dean.

"Sorry, I was late with the demon delivery," Ruby snaps. "I was only being tortured." 

"I got to hand it to you, Sammy. Bringing them all together all at once - angels and demons. It was a damn good plan," Dean tells his brother.

Sam shrugs. "Yeah, well, when you got Godzilla and Mothra on your ass, best to get out of their way and let them fight."

"No one likes a show off, Sam," Addison amusedly says.

"So, I guess she's some big time angel now, huh? She must be happy...wherever she is."

Dean sadly sighs. "I doubt it."

* * *

Dean doesn't look up when someone sets down on the bar stool next to him. He had told Sam and Addison a little about his time in Hell. About how while it had been four months for them, it was forty years for him. That he had broken after thirty years. He waves his empty glass and the bartender walks over. “Whiskey, double,” Dean orders.

“And I’ll just have a glass of water,” Addison orders. Neither of them say anything as the bartender fills their orders and walks to the other end of the counter.

“You’re drinking water,” Dean states.

“Someone has to make sure you get back to the motel in one piece.”

“And you drew the short straw.”

“No, I volunteered. Because I care about you. And the last thing you need is to be alone right now. So, I’m going to sit here, drinking water, while you proceed to get blackout drunk.” Dean throws back his whiskey, then stands up. He tosses enough money on the counter to cover his drinks and tugs Addison up. “Dean?” He pulls her out of the bar and when they reach the Impala, he pushes her against the door. He leans down and pulls her into a kiss. 

Her arms wrap around him. His hand slides her shirts and strokes her back while the other slips down the front of her jeans. “Ads,” Dean mutters.

Addison closes her eyes as his hand pushes her panties to the side and stokes her. She knew what the tone in his voice meant. It was one she had heard more than once before. And it pulled at her heart. “We should get in the car,” she softly says, reaching to open the door.


	10. Family Remains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Sam groans and sits up from where he was sleeping in the backseat. He frowns seeing Addison stretched out in the front seat, with her head in Dean's lap and her feet by the door. "Why is Addison's head in your lap," he tiredly asks.

Addison suddenly rolls over, inadvertently burying her face in Dean's crotch while kicking the seat in the process. "That's why," Dean answers, not looking up from the papers he was reading with a flashlight. "And don't even think of waking of Yogi."

Sam frowns at the nickname. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doing?"

"Looks like you're looking for a job."

"Yahtzee."

"We just finished a job like two hours ago."

"Adrenaline's still pumping, I guess. So, what do you think...Cedar Rapids, Tulsa, or Chi-Town?"

"I am all for working. I really am. But you got us chasing cases nonstop for like a month now. We need sleep."

"We can sleep when we're dead."

"You're exhausted, Dean."

"I'm good."

"No, you're not. You're running on fumes and you can't run forever."

"And what am I running from?"

"From what you told us. Or are we pretending that never happened?"

Instead of answering, Dean holds up a newspaper article. "Stratton, Nebraska — farm town. A man gets hacked to death in a locked room inside a locked house. No signs of forced entry."

"Sounds like a ghost."

"Yes, it does."

Addison lets out a mixture between a snore and a growl. "Did she just growl," Sam asks, frowning.

"Probably pissed that Ranger Smith won't let her keep the picnic basket."

* * *

Addison pulls her hair into a ponytail as she follows the guys into the empty house. She looks around. There were no signs that a grisly murder had recently taken place. "Boy, three bedrooms, two baths, and one homicide. This place is gonna sell like hotcakes," Dean says.

"I bet the realtor will say it has history or some bullshit like that," Addison replies as they walk into the large kitchen. They open the cabinets, but find them empty.

Dean walks over to the back wall. "Hey, check this out." He taps the wall and Addison frowns. "Huh."

"It's probably a dumbwaiter. All these old houses had them," Sam explains.

"Know it all," Dean mutters. Addison snorts and walks out of the room.

"What," Sam asks, looking between them.

"What?"

"You said..."

"What?"

Sam shakes his head, taking out the EMF meter. "Never mind."

"Well, no bloodstains, fresh coat of paint," Dean says, looking around the living room. "It's a bunch of bubkes."

Sam turns off the meter. "Needle's all over the place."

"Yeah, power lines."

"Great."

"Guys," Addison shouts. They exchange a look, then rush upstairs.

They find Addison standing in a bedroom, next to a closet. Dean rolls her eyes. "Yeah, Ads, the doll head on the floor is super disturbing, but I'm pretty sure it didn't kill anyone."

Addison glances at them, then notices the doll head. "Whoa. That's creepy. But no. That wasn't what I was talking about," she replies, motioning out the window. "Moving truck."

"Dude, I thought you said this place was still for sale."

"Apparently, it's not," Sam replies.

They quickly run out of the house. Five people were standing around an SUV. "Can I help you," one of the men asks as they near the family.

"Hi," Sam greets. "Are you the new owners?"

"Yeah. You guys are..."

"This is Mr. Stanwyk and Mrs. Broflovski. I'm Mr. Babar," Dean introduces as they pull out fake badges. "County code enforcement."

"We had the building inspected last week. Is there a problem?"

"Asbestos in the wall, a gas leak. Yeah, I'd say we got a problem," Sam lies.

The woman frowns. "Asbestos? Meaning what?"

"Until the house is up to code, it's uninhabitable," Addison tells them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're saying we can't stay here," the older man asks.

"It's a health hazard. You don't want to," Dean replies.

"Hold up," the other man says, stepping forward. "We just drove four hundred miles."

"There's a motel just down the road. Till this gets cleaned up, I suggest you stay there."

"All right. And what if we don't," the older man questions.

"Well, you get a fine or you go to jail. Pick your poison."

The older man sighs and turns to his family. "One night. One night and I'll take care of everything ASAP. I promise."

"Yeah, you do that," Dean mutters.

"Another motel," a teenage girl exclaims as the young boy storms away. "Awesome, Dad. I hope this one has hooker sheets like the last one."

* * *

"What did the room look like when you found it, Mrs. Curry," Sam questions. Mrs. Curry was an older woman who lived a couple of miles away from the farm house and who used to worked for the previous owner.

"I already told the local boys, there was blood everywhere," Mrs. Curry answers.

"And where exactly was Mr. Gibson," Addison asks.

"Everywhere."

"How long had you been cleaning his house?"

"About five years."

"So, you knew him pretty well," Dean points out.

Mrs. Curry shrugs. "Well, not really well. He was real private. Not the easiest man. Not that I blame him."

"What do you mean," Sam asks.

"His wife dies in childbirth. Daughter hangs herself in the attic twenty years later. I'd be bitter too. I think I got some pictures." Mrs. Curry disappears for a moment, then comes back holding a couple of pictures. One was of a older woman while the other was a young woman. "Here."

"Thanks," Dean says, taking the pictures. "Can we keep these?"

"Suit yourself."

"Any idea why the daughter killed herself," Addison asks.

"I don't know. That was before my time."

"Did you ever notice anything odd in the house when you were cleaning it," Dean questions.

Mrs. Curry frowns. "Like what?"

"Like, you know, like lights going on and off, things not being where you left them."

"No...well, maybe there was one thing."

"What's that," Sam asks.

"Well, sometimes, I thought I heard like a...rustling in the walls."

"Kinda of like a rat," Addison questions.

"Yeah."

"Must have been some big sons of guns out there, huh," Dean says.

"Wouldn't know. Never saw any."

"Do you happen to know where Mrs. Gibson and her daughter were buried," Sam asks.

"They were both cremated."

"Thank you for your time," Addison says before they turn and start back towards the Impala. "So, if our ghost isn't the daughter or mom, then who is it?"

"I don't know. But I say we give that place a real once over and see," Dean replies, opening the driver's side door.

* * *

"Shit," Dean says as the Impala pulls up to the farm house. Lights were on inside the house with the SUV and moving truck parked off to the side. He glances between Sam and Addison. ”So, what now?"

"We could tell them the truth," Sam says.

Addison raises an eyebrow. "Really?"

"No, not really."

A scream comes from within the house. The three of them climb out of the Impala and run up to the house. Dean knocks on the door and after a moment, the younger man from earlier that day opens it. "We heard screams," Dean says, walking into the house. "What's going on?"

"Oh, you three," the older man angrily shouts. "Did you touch my daughter?"

"What? No."

"Who are you guys?"

"Relax, please. You have a ghost," Sam tells them.

The older man scoffs. "A ghost."

"I told you," the teenage girl screams.

"It's the girl," the young boy shouts.

"Both of you, relax," the older man snaps. "What are you guys playing at?"

"Look, you're in danger," Addison says, stepping forward. "You need to get out of this house. Now."

Suddenly, the lights turn off. "What the hell," someone shouts.

"Nobody move," Dean orders.

A dog howls. "Buster," the boy shouts and runs out. They follow him out of the house.

Addison's gaze widens, seeing the words painted on the side of the moving truck. "Dean," she says, grabbing his sleeve.

Dean walks over to the older man. "We are not the bad guys, but you're in danger," he tells them.

"First things first. You got to get your family out of here," Sam continues.

"Go to the motel that's down the road," Addison says as they walk over to the Impala. "You'll be safer there.”

"What are you three gonna do," the older man asks.

"Oh no! Oh, come on! Oh, come on," Dean angrily shouts. The tires on the Impala and the family's SUV had been slashed and were flat.

Sam opens the trunk. "Dude, the guns are gone," he says.

Addison moves over to him and sees that all of their guns and knives were missing. She sighs. "All of our weapons."

"Truck's no good," the younger man says, walking back over from the moving truck.

"Both tires slashed," the older man says.

"What kind of ghost messes with a man's wheels," Dean shouts.

"I don't think it got the memo, Dean," Addison replies.

The teenage girl screams and they turn to see her pointing towards the cornfields. "She's there! She's there!"

"Where," the woman asks.

"She was right there in the woods!"

Dean frowns. "What's a ghost doing outside?"

"No idea, but I'm don't want to stay and find out," Addison says, before turning to the family. "All right, everyone inside!"

"Are you crazy," the younger man argues. "We need to get the hell out of here!"

"In what," Dean snaps. "This ghost is hunting us! Everybody back inside now! Move!"

The group runs back into the house, Dean ushers everyone into the center of the living room. He grabs a canister of salt and pours a circle around them. "Whatever's outside, it can't get in this circle. As long as the salt line is unbroken, this is the safest place to be."

"Safe from ghosts," the older man asks.

"Yes, as a matter of fact."

The older man shakes his head. "Okay. I'm not listening to this anymore. Come on. I got to get my family out of here. Let's go."

"Nobody's going anywhere until we kill this thing."

Sam steps towards the older man, holding out his hands. "Sir, please. This is what we do. Just...trust us."

"You hunt ghosts," the boy asks.

"Yep," Addison answers.

"Like Scooby-Doo?"

"Yeah. But without the talking dog."

Sam walks over to the teenage girl, pulling out the photos they had gotten earlier. "You saw her outside, right?" The girl nods. "Okay. Does she look like either one of these girls?"

She looks at the pictures, then points to the photo of a younger woman. "Her. She was paler and a lot dirtier, but that was her."

"That's the girl in the walls," the boy says.

Sam turns to Dean and Addison. "So, it's the daughter?"

"That girl in the picture - she's dead," the woman asks.

"She killed herself inside this house."

Addison frowns. "So, the maid was wrong? Rebecca wasn't cremated?"

"Unless her spirit's just attached to something inside the house," Sam reasons.

"She hung herself in the attic, right," Dean asks, looking between them.

"You guys want to babysit? I'll check it out."

"Look, I don't care who hung themselves where," the younger man snaps. "Maybe something is going on here, but—"

"It's a spirit, man," Dean says, growing frustrated with the family.

The younger man glares at him and steps out of the salt circle. "No, it's just some backwoods hillbilly bitch and I'm not about to sit around here waiting for her to go all  _Deliverance_  on my ass."

"Well, nobody's leaving the house."

"Stop me."

"Listen, man. I've got a gun. You don't get your ass back in that circle, you're gonna have yourself a third hole."

"Dean, you don't have a gun," Addison quietly reminds.

"And? I'm not letting that bastard or anyone else die tonight."

Sam frowns, carefully examining his brother. "You cool?"

"Go."

Addison silently watches Sam walk out of the living room before turning to Dean. He stares back at her, waiting for her to say something. Addison sighs and looks away. "Hey, Fonzie," the younger man calls. "Question for you. This indestructible force field made out of salt...have to be kosher stuff or what?"

"Knock it off, Ted," the woman says, shooting Ted an annoyed look.

A noise comes from down the hallway. Addison and Dean step inside the circle. "What was that," the teenager asks. The girl from the picture enters the room. She wore a long dirty dress, twigs were in her hair and her skin was pale.

"All right, everybody stay calm. She's a ghost. She can't come in the circle," Dean reminds them.

A tense silence settles over the group. The ghost stops at the edge of the circle, then steps over the salt line. "I thought you said ghosts couldn't cross the circle," the teenager asks.

"Apparently, she isn't a ghost," Addison calmly says, glancing around the room looking for some kind of weapon within reach.

"Shoot her," Ted screams. "Shoot her!"

Dean winces. "Yeah, about that...Go! Go! Move!" Addison runs forward and punches the girl in the face, hoping for a long distraction to get the family out of the house. The girl quickly stabs her in the side and Addison stumbles back, clutching her side. Dean slams his fist in the girl's face and knocks her down. The girl stands up.

"Hey!" The girl turns and Sam shines his flashlight at the girl. The girls screams and runs out of the room.

Dean scoops up Addison and runs out of the house with Sam on his heels. "I'm fine," Addison softly says. "Didn't touch me."

"Bullshit," Dean counters, setting her down on the hood of the Impala. Sam opens the trunk and rummages through it for the first aid kit.

"Hey," the older man says, walking up to them. "You okay?"

"Where is everybody?"

"Hiding."

Dean nods, taking the kit from Sam. "All right, go get them." The man doesn't move. "Go. Go get them."

Reluctantly, the man leaves. Addison slips off her hoodie and pulls up her long sleeve shirt to reveal a deep cut on her right side. "It's not that bad. Just a little scratch," she comments. Dean and Sam shoot her unamused looks and she looks away.

"So, it's not a ghost," Dean says, pulling out some bandages and a bottle of whiskey.

"So, it's just a girl," Sam questions.

Dean shakes his head. "It's not just a girl. It's psycho Nell. I'm telling you - humans."

"You think it's Rebecca," Addison asks, looking between them. She winces as Dean pours the whiskey over the cut.

"No. She'd have to be like fifty years old by now."

"Maybe she has really good genes?"

"What'd you find in the attic," Dean asks.

"Some old junk," Sam replies. He holds up an small book. "I found Rebecca's diary. That's about it."

"I wish you'd found a howitzer." Dean sighs. "Listen, we got to get this family safe. I mean, it's just a human, so they can make a run for it. We just got to hold her off. Ads, you're going with them."

Addison vigorously shakes her head. "No. I'm not going anywhere."

"Addison, you're injured," Sam argues. "You're going."

"I hate it when you two gang up on me."

"Told you it was some crazy bitch," Ted angrily says, with the family walking behind them.

"Yes, you did," Dean admits.

"Head to town. We'll take it from here, okay," Sam tells them.

They nod. The family had no problem with that. "Danny, come on baby," the woman shouts. "We're leaving!"

"Danny, we got to go," the older man shouts.

The woman turns to him. "Brian, where is he?"

"Danny!"

"Danny," the woman screams.

"Stay here," Dean murmurs to Addison before taking off with Sam. Addison places a thick piece of gauze on her cut. She slides off the Impala and rolls her eyes as Brian and Susan argue about leaving. "She's right," Dean loudly says, walking up behind them. "Until we find your son, the safest place for you right now is in the shed."

"I am not going in there either," Kate argues.

"Yes, you are. It's the best defense. The windows are boarded up. It's got one door. It's our best shot right now. Trust me."

The group walks over to the shed. It was exactly as Dean described it. Everything inside was dusty. And there were a couple of wooded crates along with some old garden tools. Addison eases herself down on the crates and shoots the guys a reassuring look.

* * *

Addison looks up when a loud knock comes from the door. She hadn't moved since Sam and Brian entered the shed. Sam was reading the diary he had found using the flashlight. "Sam, it's me," Dean calls through. Addison pushes herself up and helps Sam move pieces of wood barricading the door.

Susan walks forward as Dean enters the shed. She had hopeful look on her face. "Did you get Danny?"

Dean glances at her. " No."

"No? Well, where's Ted?"

"He's outside."

"Well, why doesn't he come inside?"

"Because I had to carry him out," Dean answers. "I'm sorry."

"You're...what does that mean? What does that mean, you're sorry?"

"Are you saying that he's dead," Brian asks.

Susan shakes her head. "No. No, he's not saying that he's dead. You're not saying that, are you?"

Addison sighs and looks at the ground. It was exactly what he was saying. "We were in the walls and she attacked," Dean confesses.

Susan covers her face in shocked. "Oh my God."

"And I couldn't get to him in time."

"Uncle Ted is dead," Kate disbelievingly asks.

"I shouldn't have left him alone. I'm very sorry."

Addison glances at Sam to find him reading the diary. She quietly slips out of the shed and finds Dean standing next to Ted's body. She grimaces seeing the deep cut along his throat. She turns her gaze to Dean. "We should cover him up or something so they don't freak out," she softly says. They could easily hear Brian and Susan arguing from within the shed. He remains silent. Addison places a comforting hand on his arm. "You can't save everyone, Dean."

"You should go back inside, Ads," Dean replies, not looking at her.

Addison rubs his arm and walks back into the shed as Brian exits. She looks over Sam's arm to look at the diary. "Find anything?"

"Maybe," Sam replies, snapping the diary closed. "Stay here." Addison crosses her arms and stares at him. "Ads, you're hurt." Her gaze doesn't waver. "Unless you want me to stitch—"

"Fine," Addison interrupts, sitting down on a crate. If there was one thing she hated, it was one of the guys stitching up any cuts and Sam knew that. And if staying in the shed meant avoiding that, Addison was reluctantly okay with it.

* * *

Addison winces as she shifts on the crate. It had been awhile since Sam had left and she could only assume that the guys, including Brian, were searching the house for where the crazy humans were hiding. Suddenly, the window behind her smashes. Addison quickly stands up and moves away from the window. She grabs the closet thing, a rake, and stands in front of Susan and Kate. "Stay behind me," Addison orders.

Kate screams and Addison turns to see a knife sticking through the boards. Addison ushers the duo into the center of the shed. A box along the back wall moves and they step back. Addison pushes the boxes out of the way and shoves the rake at the bottom of the wall.

"Get ready to run. I'll hold her off."

"Is that a good idea," Susan asks.

Addison shrugs. "I'm open to suggestions." The wall falls down, knocking Addison down in the process. "Run!" She brings her legs up and presses her feet against the wall. A weight presses down on the wall and she looks to see the girl on top of the wall. The girl raises a bloodied knife when she's suddenly pulled away.

Addison crawls out from the wall and scrambles out of the shed. Susan was tightly embracing her son with Kate standing next to them. Addison turns when she hears footsteps and sees Brian holding a bloody knife.

* * *

Dean runs a hand over his face as he lounges on the bed the next to a sleeping Addison. They had left the family and the farm house early that morning. And after stopping at a hospital a few counties away to get Addison checked out, something that she had insisted on, they had stopped at a motel for the night. The door opens and he turns to see Sam enter with a bag of food. “How’s she doing,” he asks, setting the food and drinks down on the nightstand.

“Fine. Antibiotics knocked her out,” Dean replies as Sam tosses him a burger. He starts to unwrap it, but stops and wraps it back up.

Sam frowns. “You okay?”

“You know, I felt for those sons of bitches back there. Lifelong torture turns you into something like that.”

“You were in Hell, Dean. Look, maybe you did what you did there, but you’re not them. They were barely human.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I wasn’t like them. I was worse. They were animals, Sam, defending territory. Me? I did it for the sheer pleasure.”

Sam tenses. “What?”

“I enjoyed it, Sam. They took me off the rack and I tortured souls and I liked it. All those years, all that pain. Finally getting to deal some out yourself. I didn’t care who they put in front of me. Because that pain I felt, it just slipped away. No matter how many people I save, I can’t change that. I can’t fill this hole. Not ever.”

The only noise in the room comes from Addison’s light snoring. Sam didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think there was anything he could say. Dean grabs the remote off the nightstand and turns on the TV, needing something to drown out his thoughts.


	11. Criss Angel is a Douchebag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Addison, Dean, and Sam walk down the sidewalk and pause seeing a group mainly made up of women surrounding a man. There was a man holding a camera and another man holding a microphone. "This isn't a trick, okay? I don't do tricks. This is a demonstration about demons and angels," the man explains to the crowd. "Love and lust."

"What a douchebag," Dean comments and Addison snorts in amusement.

"All that stuff mixed up in my head."

"That's Jeb Dexter," Sam states.

Dean and Addison stare at him. "I don't even wanna know how you know that," Dean replies.

Sam shrugs. "He's famous...kinda."

"For what? Douchebaggery?"

They turn back to watch as Jeb pretends to be possessed and tosses a deck of cards at a store window. Addison raises an eyebrow at the card stuck to the window on the other side. Dean scoffs as the crowd cheers. "You've gotta be kidding me. A fake demon possession," he says, before turning to walk down the street. Sam follows him and Addison quickly catches up. "I can't believe people actually fall for that crap."

"It's not all crap," Sam argues.

"What part of that was not a steaming pile of bullshit?"

"Okay, that was crap. But that's not all magicians. It takes skill."

Dean smirks. "Oh, right, right. I forgot. You were actually into this stuff, weren't you? You had like a deck of cards and a wand?"

"Dude, I was thirteen. It was a phase."

"Just bugs me. Actually, it offends me. You know, playing into demons and magic, when the real thing'll kill you bloody?"

"Like a guy who drops dead of ten stab wounds without a tear in his shirt?"

Dean nods. "That's what I'm talking about."

"Am I the only one wondering how he got the card to stick to the window from the inside," Addison asks, looking between the guys. They send her disbelieving looks. "What?"

* * *

"Does you boss have any, ah, enemies that you know of," Dean questions the assistant of the magician, Vance, that had recently died of multiple stab wounds. They were in Vance’s motel room while his assistant went through the magician’s belongings.

"Vance had plenty of enemies," the assistant answers, pulling a handkerchief out of a bag. Addison stares as it continues on in a variation of bright colors.

"How so," Sam asks.

"He would steal from other magicians. All the time."

"What would he steal?"

"Stage effects, close up techniques, anything he could get his hands on."

"Would someone actually kill him over that," Addison asks.

"These guys take this stuff pretty seriously." The assistant picks up a top hat off the bed to reveal a fluffy white bunny. Addison smiles. "There you are."

"Did you find anything weird in Vance's stuff," Dean questions. "Well, weirder."

"Matter of fact I did," the assistant replies, setting the bunny in a large bag. She grabs a tarot card off of the bed and hands it to them.

"This didn't belong to Vance," Addison asks.

"He hated card tricks. He never wanted them around. Let alone in his precious cape."

Addison examines the card. A picture of a man laying on the ground with knives sticking out his back was on it. But other than that nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the card.

* * *

Addison walks with Dean into the theater. They had taken to searching around town while Sam was up in the motel room, researching. A sign above the stage said 'The Incredible Jay.' Addison raises an eyebrow as Jeb Dexter sits down at a table across from an older man. Dean grabs her arm and leads over to a table where two older men were sitting. "Are you Vernon Askel," he asks.

Vernon looks at them. "Whose asking?"

Dean and Addison flash their fakes badges. "Federal Agent Ulrich. This is my partner Agent Summers. We're looking into the death of Patrick Vance."

They silent watch as Jeb talks with Jay, the man sitting across from him. "What a douchebag," Vernon comments.

"Couldn't agree more."

Addison pulls out a small, clear plastic bag with the tarot card in it. "Mr. Askel, does this look familiar to you?"

"Should it be," Vernon counters.

"Well, we heard that you use tarot cards in your act," Dean states.

Vernon laughs. "Act? That was a long time ago. I haven't touched the deck in years." Vernon holds his hands and they notice the slight tremor.

"Do you know who uses them now," Addison questions.

"Well, there was this guy down on Bleaker Street."

"Oh, yeah," Charlie says. "He peddles that kinda specialty stuff."

"Did he have a problem with Vance," Dean asks.

"In fact, Vance crossed him about a year ago. Probably cost him fifty grand in royalties."

"Do you know exactly where we can find him," Addison asks, looking between the two men.

"426 Bleaker."

"Ask for Chief," Charlie says.

Addison stares at him. "Chief?" Charlie nods. "Thank you."

426 Bleaker Street was on the opposite of town from the theater. Dean parks the Impala in the alley and they climb out before walking up to the door with metal bars on it. He bangs on the door and after a minute, the wooden door opens. A man stares at them with a frown on his face. "We're, uh, here to see Chief," Dean tells him.

The man stands still for a moment, then opens the metal door and lets them. They follow him through the building into a dimly lit basement. They could hear the muffled pulsing music. "Stay here. Don't touch anything," the man orders.

Addison watches as the man walks back up the stairs. She shares a confused look with Dean. A door in front of them opens and they watch as a large man walks towards them. He wore leather pants and a vest. He slaps a whip in his open hand. "You are really gonna get it tonight, big boy," the man greets.

Realization crosses Dean's face and he shakes his head. "There's been a misunderstanding. We - I think we've been had."

"Oh, you two ain't been had 'til you've been had by the Chief. Oh, and before we get started, what's your safe word?"

Addison pushes Dean forward. "His safe word is Dumbo."

* * *

"Please tell us you found something," Addison says, walking up to where Sam was standing towards the edge of the crowded theater. 

Sam glances at her, then turns his attention back to the stage. "What? No. You?"

"Nothing I wanna talk about," Dean replies. He grimaces. "Or think about ever again." Dean spots Vernon and Charlie man across the theater and makes his way over with Sam and Addison behind him. "The Chief, huh?"

Charlie smirks at them. "What's the matter? Chief not your type?"

"You know, I could have you both arrested for obstruction of justice."

"How? You're no Fed," Vernon argues

"We con people for a living. Takes more than a fake badge to get past us," Charlie finishes.

The guys nervously laugh as Addison sighs. "You got us. Yeah, we are actually...aspiring magicians," Dean says.

"Yeah, we came to the convention cause we thought could learn something," Sam continues.

"Yeah, get some ideas for our new show."

"What kinda show," Vernon disbelievingly asks.

"It's...it's, uh—"

"It's a brother act," Addison says.

Dean snaps his fingers. "Yeah! Yeah, you know with rings and doves and...rings."

The crowd starts clapping. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Incredible Jay," a announcer says.

"Wanna learn something? Stick around," Charlie tells them before walking up to the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what you are about to witness is a feat so daring, so dangerous even the great Houdini dared not attempt it. I give you the executioner," Jay says. A noose falls down from the rafters of the stage. With help, Jay puts on a straight jacket and the noose. A member of the audience is pulled up onto the stage and inspects the jacket. "Now, sir, as you can see this jacket is the real article. Thank you, sir, you may take your seat. Now, I will have one minute. Sixty seconds. To escape certain death. Let's see if I can do it."

Addison watches as Jay climbs onto a platform and Charlie closes curtains around it. A clock above the platform lights up and starts counting down. Jay struggles from behind the curtain. They could hear him fighting to get free. "I don't think he's gonna make it," Dean says from beside Addison.

The buzzer on the clock goes off. Addison grabs Dean's arm when the trap door opens and Jay stops moving. Charlie pulls back the curtain to reveal Jay standing on the platform with the straight jacket in his hands. "Holy shit," Addison disbelievingly says.

"That was amazing," Dean exclaims. "That was fucking amazing!" 

"That was...not humanly possible," Sam states.

* * *

Addison watches as the local coroner pushes a gurney out with a body bag on it. She had been on a food run when she saw the crowd standing outside a motel. "Hey," Sam says, walking up to where she was standing with Dean.

"So, the maid found Jeb hanging from his ceiling fan. The police think it was suicide. I beg to differ," Dean replies and pulls out another tarot card.

Sam takes the card out of his hand. It had the picture of a man hanging upside down from a tree. "On Dexter's body?"

"Yeah. That's what I'm thinking," Dean tells him. "If this spell is a death transference, then these cards work like black magic targets."

"Any connection between the victims?"

"Jeb was a total douchebag to Jay yesterday."

"What about the first vic? Vance?"

"He was seen heckling Jay at a bar the day he died," Addison replies.

"Okay, so Jay sneaks a card into Vance's pocket, does the table of death..."

"And Vance ends up with ten swords in his chest.

"Then Jay slips a noose and Jeb doesn't. Hell of a trick."

"Yeah, it's time we had a little chat with Jay," Dean says. "Any luck tailing him?"

An embarrassed look crosses Sam's face. "He slipped me."

"He's a sixty year old man." 

"He's a magician."

* * *

It was fairly easy for them to find Jay in the small city and follow him back to his motel. They hide down the hallway from his room and wait for him to show. After Jay walks into his room, they pull out their guns and move in front of the door. Dean easily kicks down the door and they trio enters his room. "Oh my God," Jay exclaims, staring at them.

"Up against the wall," Dean orders.

Jay holds up his hand, but doesn't move. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Now!"

"We know what you've been up to," Sam tells him.

"Been working some real bad mojo to jump start your act."

A confused look crosses Jay's face. "What? I don't know what you're talking about."

"We know that you put a spell on the tarot cards," Addison says. "You're messing with real magic."

Jay laughs. "Real magic? Come on, there's no such thing as real magic."

"Oh, is that so," Dean questions.

"Yeah, believe me. I've been around this stuff my whole life. It's all just - it's illusions. It's tricks, it's all fake."

"Jeb Dexter strung up. Was that just an illusion?"

A stunned look appears on the older man's face. "What? Something happened to Jeb?"

"He was found hanged in his room," Sam answers.

"Right after you slipped the noose last night," Dean continues.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Please, just let me go," Jay pleads.

Addison grabs the guys' sleeves and pulls them towards the door. "There's something weird about this."

"Usually they're sending some bad ass hoodoo at us by now," Sam says.

Dean looks between them. "What do you wanna do?"

Addison stands back as the guys tie Jay to a chair in the center of the room. Figuring that he was secured and wouldn't go anywhere, they move over to a corner. "So, if it isn't him, then who is it," she quietly asks.

"Even if Jay's not working the magic, he's still getting the reward," Dean points out. "His shows are selling out."

"All right, so, then whoever it is, they're obviously in Jay's corner," Sam reasons.

"All right, so we got Vernon and Charlie on the list. Anyone else?"

"Why don't we just ask him," Addison suggests.

Dean nods and they turn to see the chair empty. "Guess we should've seen that one coming."

Addison shrugs. "Well, he couldn't have gotten that far."

They run out of the motel room and search the every floor of the motel before making their way down to the lobby. "No way he could out run us," Sam says.

"Maybe he vanished? I mean, he really is good," Dean says.

Addison smacks his arm. "Or he just found another way out of the motel."

Suddenly, police cars pull in front outside. Officers run inside, guns drawn. "That's them!" They turn to see Jay running down the stairs. "Those are the three nut jobs who just broke into my room!"

"Freeze! Hands where I can see them," an officer shouts. Addison reluctantly puts her hands in the air, while shooting the brothers a glare.

* * *

Addison follows the guys into the motel. They had spent the afternoon in the police station being interrogated. She was still annoyed and mad, but she was also happy. "Jay," Sam greets as they walk over to the older man. "Thanks for dropping the charges."

"A big thank you," Addison comments.

"You mind telling us why you did it," Dean questions.

Jay sighs. "We have to talk." He leads them into the motel's bar. After getting a table and a couple of drinks, Jay takes a deep breath. "I was just a kid when we first met. All I knew was how to cheat at cards. Charlie got me out of more scrapes then I can count. Hell, I would've been dead by the age of twenty if it hadn't been for him. He was more than my friend. He was my brother."

"I'm sorry, Jay," Sam replies.

"Look, I should've listened to you guys when you told me that my show was killing people."

"You weren't the one doing the killing," Addison counters.

"Yeah, but someone did and I wanna find out who did this to Charlie...so I'll do whatever you guys says. Just tell me what to do."

"Jay, whoever's doing this, they like you. They're probably close to you," Sam says. Jay shoots him a confused look. "Did Charlie and Vernon get along?"

Jay shakes his head. "No, no. It's not Vernon."

"He's the only one that makes sense," Dean argues.

"Charlier and Vernon were your family, Jay," Sam points out.

"And now Charlie's gone."

"Yeah, but...they butted heads sometimes but Vernon could never do something like this," Jay tells them.

"Jay, real magic is like a drug. Once people get ahold of it, they enjoy the feeling of it...and they'll do anything to keep it," Addison softly tells him.

Jay looks between the three of them. "You better be damn sure about this. Vernon is all I got left."

* * *

From down the hallway, the trio watch as Vernon walks out of his motel room. They come out and Sam picks the lock, then they quietly enter the room. A couple of trunks and suitcase were in the corner with various magic stuff spread around the room. "Wow, it's like a magic museum," Sam comments.

Dean smirks. "You must be in heaven. This guy didn't travel light."

"I bet everything he owns is in this room," Addison says.

Dean shrugs. "Let's get started."

The three of them start searching through Vernon's possessions. Addison picks up a stack of posters as Dean closes a trunk. "It's just a bunch of old timey magic stuff," he says. "None of it magic."

"No herbs, no candles, and no tarot cards," Sam says.

"Guys," Addison says, holding up a poster. "Recognize him?" It was an old poster of Charlie. He looked no older than thirty in the picture. And in the bottom corner was the year 1880.

* * *

"Not so fast," Dean shouts as they enter the theater. They had heard Charlie tell Jay and Vernon about getting a book from PT Barnum. And that he had done a spell for immorality. Guns drawn, the trio make their way towards the stage. "I ain't Guttenberg and this ain't Cocoon. Immortality? That's a neat trick."

"That's not a trick," Charlie says. A noose comes from the rafters and wraps around Dean's neck. "It's magic." Addison's gaze widens as the rope pulls Dean off the floor. Sam fires at Charlie. His head moves to the side, then turns back to them and spits out a bullet. "Hey, bullet catch, been working on that."

Charlie disappears and the bullet falls to the ground. "Get him," Dean shouts, struggling to keep the noose from enclosing around his neck.

Sam and Addison turn around to see Charlie standing behind them. "Let him go," Sam orders. "Now!"

"Just leave me and my friends alone."

"I said now!"

"All right, I will give it up. The spells, the hexes, this is the last time. I promise."

Sam stares at Charlie for a moment, then lunges at him. Charlie quickly disappears and reappears behind Sam. He shoves him onto the table on the stage and shackles him to the table. "Sam," Addison shouts, running over to the table. Another rope comes from the rafters and wraps around her neck. She pulls at the rope as it yanks her off the ground. She glances at Dean, then at Sam.

"Jay..." Charlie weakly says. Addison looks below her to see Charlie kneeling on the ground, blood staining his shirt. Charlie pulls a tarot card out of his pocket and looks to see the pack in Jay's hand. "You pick these strangers over me?"

Addison falls to the stage as Charlie falls forward. She pushes herself up to see Dean ripping the noose off his neck. She pulls off her own noose and stands up. She moves over to Dean and helps him up. A crash causes her to turn to see Sam standing next to the table he had been on, but now the spikes were down. "You okay," Sam asks.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm all right," Dean replies.

* * *

They find Jay sitting in the hotel bar, nursing a glass of whiskey. "Hey, Jay," Dean greets as they walk up to his table. "We wanted to, ah, thank you for what you did yesterday."

Jay looks at up him. A broken look on his face. "I killed my best friend yesterday and you wanna thank me?"

The trio exchanges a sad look. "Where's Vernon," Addison asks.

"Oh, he's gone. Said he didn't wanna speak to me again after what I did to Charlie."

Dean sighs. "Listen, Jay, you know Charlie was never gonna give up what he was doing. Ever. You did the right thing."

"You sure about that? You know, Charlie was like my brother. And now he's dead. Because I did the right thing," Jay tells them, standing up. "He offered me a gift and I just threw it back in his face. So, now I have to spend the rest of my life old and alone. What's so right about that?"

Jay walks out of the bar, leaving the three of them standing there. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I could go for a beer."

"I'm gonna take a walk," Sam replies, walking away.

Addison turns to Dean. "You're buying."

It's after his third beer that Dean turns to Addison. The conversation he had a couple of days before with Sam had been replaying in his mind. "Where do you think you'll be when you're sixty," he suddenly asks.

"Seattle," Addison answers. "A nice house. Not too big, but not small. Iron fence instead of a white picket one. Pictures of my kids hanging on the walls and a dog."

"You really believe that?"

“Absolutely." She shifts on the stool. “I never slept with Sam. In the fact the most we ever did was make out once or twice and that was while you were doing your farewell tour.” She slides off the stool and pulls out some money from her back pocket before putting on the bar. “In fact that last time I had sex was with you right before you died.”

Addison turns to leave, but Dean grabs her wrist. “Why did you tell me that?”

She shrugs. “Because you’re my best friend.”


	12. After School Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Dean tosses the yellow wrapper at Addison, who throws her wrapper back at him. They were sitting outside of a mental hospital, waiting for Sam to finish interviewing a local high school student who had given a deadly swirly. The backdoor opens they turn to see Sam slide into the backseat. "So," Dean asks.

"I think she's telling the truth," Sam says. "I mean, the way she talked about being there mentally but not physically - kind of sounds like demonic possession to me."

Addison raises an eyebrow. "Kind of?"

"She didn't see any black smoke or smell sulfur."

"Maybe it's not a demon," Dean counters. "I mean, kids can be vicious."

Sam shrugs. "Well, I mean, we're already here. Might as well check out the school."

Dean chuckles. "Right. The school."

"What," Sam asks, confused.

"Truman High, home of the bombers."

"What's your point?"

"Fall semester, senior year," Addison replies. "I was going there and you guys had to stay with me and my dad for like a month. Why are you so pumped to go back?"

"I'm not. I just think it's worth looking into."

"All right, well, what's our cover," Dean questions. "FBI? Homeland Security? Swedish exchange students?"

Addison laughs. "You're a little old to be an exchange student, Dean."

"I got an idea," Sam tells them. Dean starts the Impala and they drive off. Addison looks out the window at the familiar town.

_Addison looks up when the classroom door opens and tenses. She inwardly groans when Dean walks in with not a care in the world. He hands Mrs. Wilson a piece of paper and the older woman reads it. He spots Addison and shoots her a smirk. "Class, say hello to our new student, Dean Winchester," Mrs. Wilson says. The class remains silent. "Dean, is there anything you'd like to tell us about yourself?"_

_"Not really, sweetheart," Dean casually replies._

_Mrs. Wilson gives him an unamused look. "Take your seat," she orders. Addison stares down at her book. The only empty desk was behind her. Dean slides into the empty desk, smirking. "Dean, where are your books?"_

_"Don't need 'em sugar. Not gonna be here long enough anyway," Dean answers, leaning back in the desk. A blonde girl the next row over and a few seats ahead, smiles at him. Dean smirks at her. The blonde turns back around and he leans forward. "Small world, Ads."_

_Addison rolls her eyes. "Don't even think about cheating off me, Dean," she hisses. "I know where you sleep."_

_Dean smirks. "Yeah, in your bed when Patrick isn't around." Addison buries her face in her hands, hoping that no one could see the redness slowly spreading across her face._

Addison frowns when she hears a group of students in the back of the classroom talking. They were talking about the girl that had passed away and it was definitely nothing that could help the case. "I hope that you ladies in the back realize that talking bad about a recently deceased student is a disrespectful thing to do," Addison says, over the movie playing. Sam's idea was for her and Dean to pose as substitute teachers at Truman while he could pose as a janitor. He was able to check the school, while they were able to get read on the students. A knock comes from the door and Addison notices Sam standing on the other side. "Excuse me."

She walks out of the classroom. "How's it going," Sam asks.

Addison stares at him. "One of the football players hit on me in between classes. He also reassured me that it was perfectly legal since he'll be nineteen in two months. How has your day been?" Sam frowns. "Did you find anything?"

"Uh, no," Sam replies. "I talked to Dean. And we're gonna hit the road this afternoon."

“Okay. Are you okay?”

“What? I’m fine.”

Addison stares at him, with a raised eyebrow. “So, you haven’t been sneaking off with Ruby?”

“What? No!” Sam shakes his head. “I’ll see you after school.” Addison turns and walks back into the classroom. The suspicion she had of what he had been doing in between jobs and who he had been doing it with had just grown.

* * *

Dean smirks as he enters the classroom. Addison was standing by a table with a large printer on it. His gaze trails over her. The black pencil skirt and white blouse she wore hugged her curves. He walks up behind and places his hands on the table, trapping her between his body the table. "You know, if I had a teacher that looked like you when I was in high school, I would've pay attention more."

Addison leans back against him. "Well, if I had a coach like you, I would've enjoyed gym a lot more."

"There's a closet down the hallway. I heard that it's where students go to spend quality time."

"A closet, Coach?"

"And what would you suggest, Miss Blake?"

"We are in an empty classroom, Coach. And there is a large desk behind you."

"Hey." They quickly move apart to see Sam standing in the doorway, with a frown on his face. "There was an accident in a classroom upstairs."

"What kind of accident," Dean asks.

"One where a kid had ectoplasm in his ear."

* * *

Addison quickly walks down the hallway to catch up with the guys. The school was empty as all the students and faculty had been ushered into the auditorium for an assembly. "Hey, how's the nonviolence assembly going," Sam asks.

"The counselors are reminding everyone that shoving someone's hand into a cuisinart isn't a healthy display of anger," Addison replies. "So, the kid that did it had ectoplasm in his ear?"

Sam nods. "Which only comes from a seriously pissed off spirit. It's got to be ghost possession."

"Except ghost possession is really rare."

"Yeah, but it happens. I mean, they get angry enough, they can take control of a person's body."

Addison sighs. "So, there's a ghost wondering around the hallways of Truman High and it's possessing people. Lovely."

"Yeah, but where? I mean, there's no EMF. Maybe we could find out who it is, at least. You know, check and see if somebody died bloody around here or something."

"Way ahead of you," Dean says, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. "I had to break into the principal's office to get this. Oh and FYI, three of the cheerleaders are legal. Guess which ones."

Addison laughs. "Only you would look that up, Dean."

Sam shakes his head in disbelief. Dean smirks at her. "I heard that a football player asked you out, Ads."

"And I told him no."

"Guys," Sam says.

Dean clears his throat. "So, there was only one death on campus. It was a suicide back in '98. Some kid named Barry Cook." A sad look crosses Sam's face. "What?"

"I knew him. How did he die?"

"He silt his wrists in the first floor girl's bathroom."

"That's where—"

"Right where the chick got swirleyed to death, exactly. So, what? This ghost is possessing nerds?"

"And using them to go after bullies, yeah."

"Did it seem like something Barry would do," Addison asks.

"Barry had a hard time."

* * *

Addison exchanges a look with Dean. Sam had been unusually quiet after they had salted and burned Barry's bones. She leans forward. "Sam, you okay?"

"Barry was my friend, Addison. I just burned his bones," Sam replies.

"Yeah, but he's at peace now, Sam."

Sam sighs. "I mean, if Dad had let us stay just a little while longer, maybe I could have helped the kid, you know."

"You read the coroner's report same as us," Dean reminds him. "Barry was on every anxiety drug and antidepressant known to man. School was hell for that kid. His parents had split up. He just wanted out. It was tragic, but it's not your fault. To tell you the truth, I'm glad we got out of that town. I hated that school."

"It wasn't all bad."

"How can you say that after what happened to you?"

_Addison hurries across the school grounds, tightly clutching her messenger bag. She had heard about the fight that Sam had been in while she was in the library. She spots him and Dean sitting on the bleachers near the football field. "Sam, I heard about what happened," she says. "Are you okay?"_

_“I'm fine, Addison," Sam replies. "It's not a big deal, guys."_

_"Not a big deal," Dean repeats. "Sammy, look at yourself. If Dad was here—"_

_"He's not."_

_"Well, I am! And as soon as I'm finished with that dick—"_

_"Dean," Addison snaps. "You can't just go starting fights with people. Look, we'll just talk with the kid and tell—"_

_"I don't need either of you guys' help," Sam interrupts._

_"That's right, you don't," Dean agrees. "You could have torn him apart. So, why didn't you?"_

_"Because I don't want to be the freak for once, Dean. I want to be normal."_

_"So, taking a beating, that's normal?"_

_Sam sighs. "Any word from Dad?"_

_"John called this morning," Addison tells them, exchanging a look with Dean. "My dad headed out early this morning to give him a hand. They won't be back until next week."_

_Dean shoves his hands in his jacket pockets. "We weren't supposed to be here this long."_

_Addison rolls her eyes, then smirks at Dean. "I overheard Amanda talking in the library. She wants to introduce you to her parents, huh?"_

_Dean shakes his head. "I don't do parents."_

_"No, you just do their daughters."_

* * *

_Dean grabs Addison's wrist as she passes by his hiding spot. She jumps and struggles to get out of his grip, but he yanks her into the nearby closet. "Dean, what are—" He cuts her off by pulling her into a kiss. Her books fall to the floor as she wraps her arms around him. He lightly nips her neck and she bites her lip to keep in the moan. "You're lucky that I have no problem skipping gym."_

_A smirk crosses his face. His hand slides up along her leg and under her plaid skirt. "Maybe I should go with you to gym. Especially if you wear those tiny shorts from over the summer."_

_"What I wear in gym is none of your business." Addison jumps when he pushes her panties to the side. “Dean!"_

_"It's not the first time we've done this."_

_"That's not my problem."_

_"You scared that we'll get caught, Ads?"_

_"Yes," Addison quietly moans. Dean covers her mouth with his as he slowly teases her. She shoves his hand away and shakes her head. "Not here. Because if we get caught, my dad will be super pissed and send me back to Our Lady of Mercy. Going to an all girl Catholic school isn't as fun as you think it is, Dean."_

_"You do look hot in that uniform, Ads."_

_Addison rolls her eye and kneels down to pick up her books. "I'm glad you like the uniform. Besides, this isn't right, you're with Amanda."_

_"And when has that ever stopped us before," Dean counters. Addison stands back up and he pushes her against the wall, his lips capturing hers in the process._

_His hand slides back up her skirt and she does nothing to stop him. Addison couldn't help that she had a weakness for Dean. She pulls back, breathless. "Tonight?"_

"Trust me. This will help," Dean tells Sam, holding out a cold beer. Sam grabs it and puts it between his legs. They had all been ready to leave town when Sam said he had wanted to make a stop at Truman High. When he had walked out of the school, Sam had told them about the ghost attacking him. "That ghost is dead! I'm gonna rip its lungs out! Well, you know what I mean."

"It knew my name, Dean. My real name. We burned Barry's bones. What the hell," Sam asks them.

"Maybe it wasn't Barry," Addison says as Dean grabs the file about the students out of her hand. "We could've missed something. We just have to go back and—”

"No way," Dean interrupts. "How did we not see this before?"

"What?"

Dean holds the file to where Sam and Addison could see it. "Check it out. Look, Martha Dumptruck, Revenge of the Nerds, and Hello Kitty - they rode the same bus."

"Okay, so maybe the bus is haunted," Sam reasons.

"Well, that would explain why there's no EMF at the school, but not the attacks. I mean, ghosts are tied to the places that they haunt. They can't just bail."

"But there's plenty of lore about spirits hijacking people and taking them on joy rides. When the spirit leaves the body, they get snapped back to their haunt," Addison tells them. "I mean, a ghost can take a person and go anywhere they want to."

"So, a spook just grabs a kid on the bus and walks right into Truman?"

"It's possible."

Dean shrugs. "Ghosts getting creative. Well, that's super."

* * *

Addison sits behind the driver's seat watching as Sam waves the EMF meter around the school bus. Dean was standing by the driver's seat, searching for anything. "Definitely ain't clean," Sam announces, turning off the EMF meter.

"Here, ghosty, ghosty, ghosty! Come out, come out, wherever you are," Dean mocks.

Addison slaps the back of his head. "Shut up, Shaggy."

"Bite me, Daphne."

"I don't get it," Sam says. "No one ever died on this bus and it's not like there's a body hidden in here."

"Yeah, but a flap of skin, a hair, I mean, hell, a hangnail. Something's got to be trying the ghost to this place. We just got to find it," Dean says, opening the glove compartment.

"Yeah."

Dean pulls out some papers and looks through them. "Got a new driving permit. Issued two weeks."

"That's right before the first attack," Addison says.

"Yeah. Name of the bus driver is Dirk McGregor Senior. Thirty-nine North Central Avenue."

"McGregor," Sam asks.

Dean looks up at him. "Yeah. Why?"

"I knew his son."

"Did you know everybody at this school?"

* * *

The trio sit down on the couch across from Mr. McGregor. His house was small and filled with pictures of his family. "So, you were friends with Dirk," he asks them.

"Yes, sir, in high school," Sam replies.

"I don't recall Dirk having many friends at Truman."

"When did Dirk pass away," Addison softly asks.

"He was eighteen."

"What happened to him," Sam questions.

"Well, there was, first, drinking, then drugs and then too many drugs. And then he just slipped through my fingers. It was my fault. I should have seen it coming, you know? Dirk, he, uh...he had his troubles."

"What kind of troubles," Dean asks.

"School was never easy for Dirk. We didn't have much money and well, you know, kids - they can be cruel. They picked on him."

Sam frowns. "They picked on him?"

"They called him poor and dirty and stupid. They even had a nickname for him - Dirk the jerk. And after what happened to his mother, he..."

"His mother?"

"Yeah, Jane, my wife. She died when Dirk was thirteen. Cancer. I was working three jobs, so it feel to Dirk to take care of her. And he was a great kid. He made sure Jane got her medicine. He helped her, cleaned up after her. But, you know, you - you watch somebody die slowly, waste away to nothing...it does things to a person. Horrible things."

"I didn't know about his mother."

"He - he wouldn't talk about her. Not even to me. Lot of anger in that boy."

"I'm sorry."

"Mr. McGregor, we'd like to pay our respects to Dirk. You wouldn't mind telling us where's he buried, would you," Addison asks.

"Oh, he wasn't. I had him cremated."

"All of him," Dean presses.

"Well, I kept a lock of his hair."

"Oh, that's...that's nice. Where do you keep that?"

"On my bus in my Bible."

* * *

Addison hides in the woods with the guys, waiting to school bus to drive past. After learning that the bus had left the school with the wrestling team on it, the trio had rushed to catch up. Dean had placed a spike strip on the road. Headlights appear down the road. The bus speeds past them, then swerves before stopping.

Dean readies the rope dipped in salt water as Sam moves in front of the bus driver, who had stepped off. "Dirk," Sam says.

The bus driver coldly smiles. "Winchester. What are you gonna do, shoot me?"

Dean runs up behind the driver and wraps the rope around him. "Don't need to," Sam tells the ghost. "That rope is soaked in salt water, Dirk. You're not going anywhere."

Addison runs onto the bus. "Everyone stay calm! No one leave the bus and everything will be okay."

"Dude, it's that hot substitute teacher," one of the students says.

Addison flashes her fake badge. "DEA. We're conducting a raid because the bus driver sells meth." She turns and pulls open the glove compartment. She finds the Bible and flips through it. Addison darts down the steps. "It's not here!"

Dean sighs and climbs onto the bus. "You make me do everything, huh?"

Addison smacks his shoulder. "I told you, it's not here."

"Well, it has to be here."

"Unless he took it!"

Suddenly, a large student rushes past them. They run after him and see him tackle Sam. Dean shoots at him, but misses. "Find the hair," Sam shouts.

Addison runs over to the bus driver on the ground and searches the unconscious man's pockets. "Look at you, Ads, making friends," Dean comments.

"Bite me," Addison snaps, pulling out the lock of hair. She tosses it to Dean, who lights it on fire and drops it on the ground. The ghost flies out of the student and disappears.

"Little help," Sam groans.

They turn to see the student lying on top of Sam. Addison bites her lip to keep from laughing. Dean smirks. "He's giving you the full cowgirl."

_Addison slams her locker closed. She notices Dean chasing after Amanda. Addison silently follows them. "I'm not mad, Dean," the blonde says. "I thought maybe...underneath your whole 'I could give a crap' bad boy thing, that there was something more going on. I mean, like the way you are with your brother. But I was wrong. And you spend so much time trying to convince people that you're cool, but it's just an act. We both know that you're just a sad, lonely, little kid. And I feel sorry for you, Dean."_

_"You feel sorry for me, huh," Dean angrily replies. "Don't feel sorry for me. You don't know anything about me. I save lives. I'm a hero! A hero!"_

_Addison walks up to Dean as Amanda moves over to her friends. "Dean," she softly says, placing a hand on his arm._

_"Fuck off," Dean snaps, pushing her away. Addison sadly sighs watching him walk down the hallway. She turns and walks in the opposite direction, trying to hold back the tears._

* * *

_Addison pushes the food around her plate as Patrick sits down across from her. The Winchesters had been long gone when she had arrived home from school. Patrick sighs and runs a hand over his face. "Look, Addison, I know you like Dean. But he's the kind of guy that will sleep with you and slip out the next morning while you're asleep."_

_Addison groans. "Dad..."_

_"Addison, I don't want you to get hurt."_

_"Yeah? Guess what, Dad? That's part of life. I'm gonna get hurt and I have to deal with it on my own."_

_"Yeah? Well, guess what, Addison. I'm your father. It's my job to protect you. And all that boy is gonna to do is break your heart."_

_"You know that he's like the only guy that I could actually have some kind of long lasting relationship with, right," Addison shouts. "So, why don't you just give him a chance? Because I know a side of him that you never see."_

Addison ignores the glare that Dean shoots her as she climbs over the seat to sit in the front. They were waiting while Sam went to go talk to some teacher. "I had this huge fight with my dad after you guys left," she says. "I was so pissed at him because for the millionth time he reminded that you were the 'love 'em and leave 'em' type. Which you totally are. And he loved that you were scared—"

"Hey, I wasn't scared of Patrick," Dean interrupts.

"You were totally scared of my dad."

"He threatened me while holding an axe, Ads. Besides, fooling around with you had a danger vibe after that. It made it hot."

Addison laughs. "Yeah? For me, it was all about pissing my dad off."

"That's because pissing Patrick off was fun."

"Yeah, but he never yelled at you." She leans against him and he drapes his arm over her shoulder. "We've always been there for each other, Dean. I don't want that to change."

Dean looks at her, then presses his lips against the side of her head. "That's never gonna change, Ads." He smirks. "It's a shame that we can't check out that janitor's closet. Good memories in there."


	13. Sex and Violence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Dean wakes with a start. He looks across the room and finds the other bed empty. Next to him, Addison rolls over and her light snoring fills the room. He sits up and runs a hand over his face, noticing Sam in the bathroom talking on his cell phone. “Yeah, no, no, that’s what I’m telling you. No storm. No bad crops. Nothing. Yeah. Yeah, okay. We’ll keep looking. You keep looking too, okay? All right. Talk soon.” Sam hangs up his cell and Dean lies back down, quickly pretending to be asleep. Sam hits his leg with his toiletry bag thens sits down on his bed. “Hey! Up and at ‘em kiddo.”

Dean sits up and runs a hand over his face, acting like he was just woken up. “You’re up early. What are you doing?”

“I was in the can.”

Dean stares at his younger brother. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, want me to draw you a picture?”

Dean shakes his head. “Naw, I’ll pass.”

“Found a job. Bedford, Iowa. Guy beat his wife’s brains out with a meat tenderizer,” Sam explains, tossing Dean a newspaper.

“Yikes.”

“Yeah, get this, third local inside two months to bank his wife for no reason. No priors on any of ‘em, all happily married.”

“Sounds like Ozzy and Harriet.”

“More like _The Shining_.”

“All right, then I guess we better have a look,” Dean replies and hands the paper back to Sam. He climbs out of bed and walks into the bathroom. For him, it only took one guess to figure out who Sam was talking to and he hated the answer.

* * *

Addison stares at Mr. Benson, who sat across the metal table from her and the boys. He was a middle aged man and wore a bright orange prison jumpsuit. “Why does the PD keep sending you guys,” Mr. Benson asks, looking between the three of them. “I already said I don’t want a lawyer.”

“Well, the DA’s office is getting the firing squad lined up,” Addison tells him.

“I’m pleading guilty.”

“All right, look, you don’t want us to represent you, that’s fine. In fact, it’s probably a good idea, between you and me,” Dean says and Sam clears his throat. “We just wanna understand what happened. That’s all.”

Mr. Benson looks down at the table. “Mr. Benson,” Sam says, causing the man the man to look at him. “Please.”

“What happened was…I killed my wife…and you wanna know why,” Mr. Benson disbelievingly asks, leaning back in his chair. “Because she made plans without asking me.”

“Now, when it happened, how did you feel? Disoriented? Out of control?”

“Like something possessed you to do it,” Dean adds.

“I knew exactly what I was doing. I was crystal clear,” Mr. Benson replies.

Addison frowns. “So, why’d you do it?”

“I don’t know. I loved her. We were happy.”

Sam glances at Dean and nods. Dean opens a briefcase and pulls out a small piece of paper. He slides it across the table to Mr. Benson. “Nine G’s. That’s a hefty bill,” Dean states.

Mr. Benson stares. “Where did you get that?”

“Doesn’t matter. We have it. See certain charges, ones you don’t want the Mrs to know, they show up under shady names like M&C Entertainment.”

“Yeah. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Mr. Benson,” Addison begins. “You spent nine thousand dollars on…entertainment.”

Sam shoots Addison a glare. “We just…wanna know the truth, Mr. Benson.”

Mr. Benson sighs. “Her name was…Jasmine.”

“She was a stripper.”

Dean shoots Sam a smirk. “Dude, her name was Jasmine.”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen,” Mr. Benson explains. “I don’t like to go to strip bars. My buddy was having a bachelor party. And…there she was.”

“Jasmine,” Sam questions.

Mr. Benson nods. “She came right up to me…and I — I don’t…I don’t know, she was just…perfect. Everything that I wanted—”

“People will be anything you want for enough money,” Addison argues.

“It wasn’t about the money. It wasn’t even about the sex…it…I don’t know…I know what it was. It’s hard to explain.”

“But your wife found out?”

“No. She never had a clue.”

“So, why did you kill her?”

“For Jasmine. She said we would be together forever. If - if only…Vicky was…”

“Muetre,” Dean finishes.

“Afterwards, me and Jasmine were supposed to meet and she never showed…I don’t know where she lives, I don’t know her last name. I don’t even know her real first name. I’m an idiot.”

“And you didn’t think to tell this to the cops,” Sam asks.

“What for? The stripper didn’t do it,” Mr. Benson replies. “I did it. And I know what I deserve. Judge doesn’t give me the death sentence, I’ll just do it myself.”

* * *

Addison glances at Dean with an amused look on her face as they walk down the hospital hallway. They had went to talk to the other suspects while Sam went to talk to the M.E. “Could you be anymore giddy,” she asks, smiling.

A smirk appears on Dean’s face. “What can I say, Ads. I love this case.” They enter a small office where Sam and a dark haired woman wearing a lab coat were sitting. “What’d we miss?”

“Ah, these are my partners, Agents Murdoch and Case,” Sam introduces.

“Please, Agent sounds so formal,” Dean says, holding out his hand. “You can call me Dean.”

“I’m Dr. Roberts,” the woman replies. Dr. Roberts smiles at Addison before turning her attention back to Sam. “So, um, can I help you with anything else?”

“Ah…sure, just one more thing,” Sam says, handing some files back to Dr. Roberts. “This chemical, this—”

“Oxytocin.”

“Oxytocin. What would cause those high levels that you found?”

“Nothing that I’ve ever seen.”

The trio exchanges a look. “Okay, that’s it. Thanks, Doc,” Sam says, standing up.

Addison walks out of the office. She turns back and sees the boys walk out. “Dude, you totally C-blocked me,” Dean says.

Addison rolls her eyes. “Dean, you’re such a slut.”

“Right back at cha, Ads.”

“So, ah, Wiley and Snider fessed up, huh,” Sam asks as they walk out of the hospital.

“One emptied his IRA, the other his kid’s college fund. All on the same thing,” Dean explains.

“Live nude girls?”

“Club called the Honey Wagon.”

“These guys have affairs too? With a stripper also known as Jasmine?”

“They had affairs but with different girls,” Addison replies.

“So, are these girls all connected somehow?”

“The guys described them the exact same way: perfect and everything that they’ve always wanted.”

“Huh, yeah, least til dream Barbie convinced them to murder their wives.”

“Yep.”

“You know, it’s almost like they were under some kind of love spell.”

“Sure seems that way,” Dean agrees.

“Which caused them to become totally psychotic.”

“Absolutely.”

Sam stops and looks at his older brother. “You seem pretty cheery.”

Dean grins at him. “Strippers, Sammy. Strippers. We are on an actual case involving strippers. Finally!” Addison bursts out laughing and he smirks at her. “You’re going undercover, Ads.”

“I’m not going undercover,” Addison amusedly replies.

“Come on. It’ll be like that time in Reno.”

“I’ll think about it.” Sam shoots Dean a surprised look as Addison climbs into the Impala. But Dean grins in response.

* * *

“So, you don’t know any of these ladies,” Addison asks the bartender over the music. The Honey Wagon was packed with men throwing money onto the stages that the strippers were performing on. Her and the boys had split up, hoping to cover more ground.

“Sorry, no,” the bartender replies. “Officially, I’m not allowed to hang out with the dancers.”

“Unofficially?”

“I didn’t know them that well, but they all worked here for about a week. Never at the same time. And they kept to themselves.”

Addison nods. “Thanks for your help.” She walks across the bar where Sam was standing at a table. Dean meets her halfway. He pauses to watch one of the strippers, then catches up with her.

“Any luck,” Sam asks them.

“No, you,” Dean answers as Addison shakes her head.

“A little. I just talked to Bobby. We officially have a theory.”

“What,” Addison questions.

“Siren.”

“Like Greek myth Siren? _The Odyssey_ ,” Dean asks and Sam shoots him a surprised look. “Hey, I read.”

“Yeah, actually, but the siren’s not actually a myth. It’s more of a beautiful creature that prey on men. Entice ‘em with their Siren Song.”

“Let me guess, Welcome to the Jungle. No, no, Warrant’s Cherry Pie.”

“My money’s on Pour Some Sugar On Me,” Addison comments.

Sam chuckles. “Their song is more of a metaphor. Like their call. Their allure, you know.”

“So they do their thing and the guys zombie out,” Dean reasons.

“Basically, yeah. Siren’s lived on islands, sailors would chase ‘em completely ignoring the rocky shores and dash themselves to pieces.”

“Sounds like Adam and his buddies.”

“Yeah. If you’re a Siren in ’09 looking to ruin a bunch of morons where would you set up shop?”

“Strip club in Vegas,” Addison says. “So, what does a Siren look like?”

“Yeah, you see, Sirens can read minds. They see what you want most and then they can kinda, like, cloak themselves, you know. Like an illusion.”

“So, it could all be the same chick? Morphing into different dream girls,” Dean questions.

Sam nods. “Yeah. Actually. Probably. Sirens are usually pretty solitary.”

“How do we kill it?”

“Bobby’s working on it. But even if we figure that out—”

“How the hell are we gonna find her. Could be anybody.” Dean grins at Addison. “Looks like you get to go undercover, Ads.”

Addison smirks. “Okay. You go talk to the club owner and tell him that I’m going undercover starting tomorrow.”

Dean shoots Sam a grin and quickly leaves to find the owner. Sam frowns. “You’re not really going undercover, are you?”

Addison shrug. “I doubt the owner will agree to it, Sam.”

“And if the owner agrees?”

“Then it’ll be fun. Through the hardest part will be coming up with a good stage name.”

* * *

Dean stares at the Blackberry sitting on the table. Sam had accidentally left his phone behind when he went to talk to the latest guy who killed a woman. Dean and Addison had stayed behind to do research. Through, Dean was disappointed that the strip club owner had refused to let Addison go undercover. His mind kept going back to the other morning and he grabs Sam’s phone. He scrolls through the recent call list until he finds a number he doesn’t recognize. Dean hits the dial button and waits. “Hey, Sam,” Ruby greets. “Sam? You there?”

Dean quickly hangs up and puts Sam’s phone back down. He doesn’t get a chance to digest the information when the motel door opens and Sam enters. “Lenny Bristol was definitely another Siren vic,” he says, pulling on his tie.

“Get in to see him,” Dean asks.

“Yeah. He said he brought a stripper home named Belle, couple of hours later he offed his mother. Belle, of course, went MIA.”

The bathroom door opens and Addison walks out, towel drying her hair. “Why would he kill his mom?”

Sam shrugs. “Women he was closet to.”

Sam’s phone starts ringing. Dean grabs it and tosses it to him. “Yeah, you, ah, forgot your phone.”

“Hey, Bobby,” Sam says, sitting down at the table.

“Sam, you find her yet,” Bobby asks.

“No. And it doesn’t seem that she’s slowing down any. What about you? Got anything?”

“Some lore from a dusty Greek poem. Shockingly, it’s a little vague.”

“Hold on a sec, I’m gonna put you on speaker,” Sam says. He presses a button on his phone and sets it in the center of the table.

“It says you need a bronze dagger covered in the blood of a sailor under the spell of the song.”

“What the hell does that mean,” Dean questions.

“You got me. We’re dealing with three thousand years of the telephone game here.”

“What’s your best guess,” Addison asks.

“Well, the Siren’s spell ain’t got nothing to do with any song. It’s most likely some kind of toxin or venom. Something she gets in the vic’s blood.”

“That makes them go all Manchurian candidate,” Sam reasons. “What do you think? She infects the men during sex?”

“Maybe.”

Dean chuckles. “Supernatural STD.”

“Well, however it happens. Once it’s down, the Siren’s gotta watch her back. She gets a dose of her own medicine—”

“It kills her,” Sam interrupts.

“Like a snake getting iced by its own venom.”

“So, all we have to do is get blood from one of the guys in jail,” Addison says.

“It’s not that easy. None of those guys are under the spell anymore,” Bobby reminds them. “I haven’t got any clue where you’re gonna get the blood you need.”

Sam stands up. “I think I might have an idea.”

“Be careful. These things are tricky bitches. Wrap ya up in knots before you know what hit ya.”

* * *

“Dr. Roberts,” Sam greets as they walk up to the check in desk in the hospital. Dean glances at Addison when Dr. Roberts smiles at Sam.

“Agent Stiles. Can’t stay away, huh,” Dr Roberts replies with a smile.

Addison clears her throat when Sam smiles back at the doctor. “Actually, we’re here on business about the blood samples,” Sam tells her. “The ones with the high…you know, oxytocin?”

“We were wondering if you still had them,” Addison asks and Dr. Roberts nods. “Good. Because we’re going to have to confiscate them from you.”

Dr. Roberts frowns. “What for?”

“Excuse me, Dr. Roberts?”

The group turns to see a man in a suit standing behind Dr. Roberts. “Yeah?”

Dean steps forward. ”Excuse me, ah, we’re a little busy here, buddy,” he says as the trio flashes their badges.

“Yeah, so am I, pal,” the man counters, pulling out an FBI badge. Addison tenses and glances at the guys to see Dean shocked while Sam remained indifferent.

“Doc, can you give us a sec, please,” Sam asks.

“Sure,” Dr. Roberts replies before walking away.

“What’s your name,” Dean questions the man.

“Nick Monroe,” he answers. “What’s yours?”

“I’m Special Agent Sam Stiles, these are my partners Dean Murdoch and Addison Case,” Sam answers as they show him their badges. “What office you from?”

“Omaha. Violent Crimes Unit. My AC sent me down here to see about the murders,” Nick explains and Sam nods. “You?”

“D.C. Our Assistant Director assigned us,” Dean tells him.

“Which AD?”

“Mike Kaiser,” Addison says.

“What are your badge numbers?”

Dean narrows his gaze. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m just following protocol.”

“Look, man, whatever. Just call our AD and he’ll sort things out,” Sam says, pulling out a business card. Nick takes it and walks away.

“I am not going to jail,” Addison hisses, watching Nick dial a number on his cell phone.

“Relax,” Dean quietly replies. “Bobby’s got our back.”

“I’m sorry guys,” Nick says, rejoining them.

“Just don’t let it happen again,” Dean replies.

“So, where are you at with this?”

“Where are you,” Addison counters.

“Well, I was just about to run the perps blood work.”

“Already checked,” Sam tells him. “It’s a dead end.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“But get this, I feel like I’ve found something that, ah, connects all the murders.”

“And what’s that,” Addison asks.

“They were all banging strippers from the same club.”

Dean smirks. “You don’t say.”

“What do you say we go down there and check it out?”

“Well, here’s the thing, Nick, see we’re kinda lone wolves here—”

“You know what, that sounds like an excellent idea,” Sam interrupts. Addison and Dean shoot him confused looks. “Just give me a sec with my partners and we’ll…one sec. Come here.” He grabs Dean’s arm and pulls him to the side. Addison moves over to them. “Dude, you gotta stay with him.”

“What,” Addison asks as Dean stares at him.

“Keep him out of the way.”

“Why me,” Dean argues.

“Cause me and Ads gotta get the blood samples.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do with him?”

“Just take him to the strip club. Keep an eye out for the Siren.” Dean frowns. “Come on, Dean, just — just focus on the naked girls, you’ll forget he’s even there.”

Dean gives Sam a hard look. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for the girls.” He walks back over to Nick. “All right. We’re gonna check out the club while they work on the blood samples.”

Addison watches as Dean leaves with Nick before turning back to Sam. “I’m going with Dean,” she says.

“Ads,” Sam begins.

“Sam, we both know that it’ll be easier for you to get the samples without me being the awkward third wheel,” she says. A smirk appears on her face. “Go seduce the samples from Dr. Roberts. Have fun.” Sam shoots her an annoyed look, but doesn’t say anything when she walks away. Addison catches up just as Dean’s about to climb into the Impala with Nick. Dean stares at her and she shrugs. “I didn’t feel like watching Sam and Dr. Roberts eye fuck each other.”

Dean smirks. “I’ll buy you a lap dance. Make you’ll feel better.” 

Addison winkles her nose. “Maybe.”

* * *

Addison sighs as she leans her head back against the cool bathroom tile. She had left Dean and Nick Monroe at the strip club a few hours ago. And as far as she knew, Sam was still with Dr. Roberts. Very rarely did Addison have any amount of time to herself and she took advantage of every minute that she did. She groans when she hears the motel door open and close. Addison hears a muffled voice, which mean that only one of the guys was back. After a few minutes, a thud hits the wall. She climbs out of the tub and wraps a towel around herself before walking out of the bathroom.

Sam turns when the bathroom door opens and he sees Addison walks out. “Everything okay,” Addison asks, moving over to her duffle bag. She eyes his broken phone sitting on the floor.

“Uh, no. Someone stole the blood from Cara’s office,” Sam answers, walking over to his own duffle. “And Dean thinks she’s the siren.”

“Why?”

“Cause she has hyacinth flowers in her office.”

“Huh. Dr. Roberts didn’t really give an evil vibe. Or maybe that’s how sirens roll. But you’re okay, right?”

Sam shoots her an an unamused look. “I’m fine, Addison.” She nods and starts back into the bathroom, but he grabs her arm. She looks up at him, waiting. “Look, Ads—”

“Sam, don’t. Just don’t. I’m gonna get dressed and go get something to eat while you go find a bronze dagger. Then we’re gonna get Dean and go track down the siren. Okay,” Addison tells him. Sam lets out a frustrated sigh and watches her disappear into the bathroom.

* * *

Addison walks into the motel room, annoyed that she had forgotten her phone. One arm wraps around her neck while another wraps around her waist. The light turns on to reveal Nick Monroe sitting at the table. He stands up and walks over to her as she struggles against the person holding her. “You’re song won’t work on me, bitch,” Addison coldly says.

Nick smirks. “But it works on him. Kill her.”

The arm around her throat tightens. Addison jams her elbow into the stomach while slamming the heel of her boot on the foot. The hold on her looses. She turns and delivers a punch, but a hand grabs her fist. Addison’s gaze widens at the cold look on Dean’s face. “Dean?”

“Kill her, Dean,” Nick urges.

Dean punches her and Addison stumbles back. He lands a second punch to her ribs and she doubles over. He grabs a fistful of hair and yanks her head back. Addison stares up at him, then brings her knee up. Dean groans and she takes the opportunity to run towards the door. He slams her body against the door. He wraps his arm around her neck. She places her feet on the door and shoves off. Dean falls to the floor while keeping ahold of her. He easily rolls them over and places all of his weight on her.

“Look at her,” Nick orders.

Dean roughly turns her over. Addison stares up at him, panting. His hands close around her throat and she gasps, trying to push him off. “Dean…” Darkness dances around her vision. Her eyes grow heavy. 

“Wait,” Nick suddenly says. “Worry about her later. Hide by the door.”

* * *

Sam enters the dark motel room and frowns. Addison was supposed to be back by now. The light flicks on to reveal Nick sitting on his bed with a smug look. “Nick, what are you doing here,” Sam asks as an arm wraps around his neck with a knife in the person’s hand. Sam looks back and is stunned to see his brother. “Dean?” Nick stands and starts towards them. Sam’s gaze widens in realization. “I gotta tell ya, you’re one butt ugly stripper.”

Nick smirks. “Maybe.” He pulls out a hyacinth flower and examines it. “But I got exactly what I wanted. I got Dean.”

“Dean, come on, man. This isn’t you. You can fight this. Let me go,” Sam tells his brother.

“Why don’t you just cut him a little, on his neck right there?” Sam feels the knife lightly nick his neck. “Dean’s all mine.”

Sam glares at the siren. “You poisoned him.”

“No. I gave him what he needed. And it wasn’t some bitch in a g-string. It was you. A little brother that looked up to him. That he could trust. And now he loves me.” Dean presses the knife harder against Sam’s neck and Sam grunts. “He’d do anything for me. And I gotta tell you, Sam, that kind of devotion, watching someone kill for you, is the best feeling in the world.”

“Is that why you’re slutting all over town?”

The siren shrugs. “I got bored. Like we all do. And I wanna fall in love again. And again. And again.”

“Tell you what, I have fought some nasty sons of bitches but you are one needy, pathetic loser.”

“You won’t feel that way in a minute,” Nick coldly counters. He grabs Sam’s jaw and forces his mouth open. Sam’s gaze widens when a venom spits out of the sirens mouth. He tries spitting it out, but fails as it takes ahold of him. Nick pulls Dean’s arms away from Sam and the taller Winchester moves away from his brother. “So, I know you two have a lot you wanna get off your chests. So, why don’t you discuss it and whoever survives can be with me forever.”

Dean stares at his younger brother. “Well, I don’t know when it happened. Maybe when I was in Hell. Maybe when I was staring right at you. But the Sam I knew…he’s gone.”

“That so,” Sam coldly replies.

“And it’s not the demon blood or the psychic crap…it’s the little stuff. The lies. The secrets.”

“Oh yeah, what secrets?”

“Your phone calls to Ruby, for one.”

“So, I need your say so to make a phone call?”

“That’s the point. You’re hiding things from me. What else aren’t you telling me?”

Sam smirks at him. “None of your business.”

“See what I mean. We used to be in this together. We used to have each other’s backs!"

“Okay, fine, you wanna know what I didn’t tell you about Ruby? And how we’re hunting down Lilith? Because you’re too weak to go after, Dean. You’re holding me back. I’m a better hunter than you are. Stronger, smarter; I can take out demons you’re too scared to go near. And hey, why don’t you tell me how long you waited before moving in on Addison? A few days?”

“That’s bullshit.”

“You’re too busy sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, whining about all the souls you tortured in Hell.”

Dean glares at Sam, then throws the knife in his direction. Sam ducks and Dean rushes at him. Sam punches Dean and Dean punches back. He punches Sam once more, then Sam hits him. Sam keeps hitting him, but Dean grabs his arm and punches him. Sam hits Dean, forcing him to let go of his grip on Sam. Sam punches him hard, knocking Dean to the ground. Sam grabs Dean by the collar and slams him against the wall.

Dean shoves Sam away. “I was with her long before you were around.” Sam punches Dean and he stumbles back. They stare at each other, then Dean rushes at Sam and they burst through the door. Dean stands up and walks over to where an emergency axe hung on the wall. He breaks the box and grabs it, then walks over to where Sam was laying on the broken door.

“Do it,” Nick says. “Do it for me, Dean.”

“Tell me again how weak I am, Sam. How I hold you back,” Dean angrily exclaims, raising the axe over his head. He gets ready to swing it down, but a hand grabs the axe handle. Dean turns around and sees Bobby holding a knife. Bobby stabs him in the shoulder. Nick sees Dean falls to his knees and runs down the hallway. Bobby turns and throws the knife in Nick’s back. Nick stumbles into the wall and falls to the ground, dead. Bobby walks down the hallway as Sam sits up against the wall.

The brothers stare at each other. They were shocked at what they did and said to each other. The brothers slowly stand up. Footsteps cause them to turn and see Addison leaning against the doorway. Redness was easily visible around her neck. Her right eye was closed. Neither of them do anything as she walks past them. Sam was stunned. He didn’t remember seeing her in the room. Dean felt the guilt swell in him. He avoids Sam’s and Bobby’s looks as he heads into the motel room to start packing up.

* * *

The tension between them was so thick that nothing could break it at that point. They each easily remembered everything that had been said during the fight. Dean needed to get out of the room, to get away from Sam. “I’m going out,” he announces, standing up. He walks out of the room without a backwards glance at his brother.

Dean would never mention to his brother about needing to check on Addison. He arrives at Addison’s room and knocks on the door. It was two doors down from his and Sam’s room. Dean understood her need to be away from them, away from him. But he needed to see that she was okay. The door opens and he sees Addison partially hidden by the door. She stares at him for a moment, then opens the door wider. Addison keeps her back to Dean as she closes the door.

Taking a deep breath, Addison turns and faces him. Dean’s gaze takes in the black eye on the right side of her face. Dark bruises were around her neck. Guilt instantly fills him. He was the reason behind those bruises. “Dean, it wasn’t your fault,” she softly says, walking over to him. “It wasn’t your fault. It was the siren’s fault. You had no control.”

Dean lightly touches the bruises around her neck. “Ads—”

Addison places a comforting hand on his face. “It wasn’t your fault, Dean.”

He cups her face. His thumb trails over the bruise. Addison looks up at him. He knew that he should turn around and walk out of the room. He knew that if he continued, there would be no turning back. Dean couldn’t deny that in between his nightmares, the only good dreams he had involved her. He thought that sleeping with Anna would make some kind of difference, but he was wrong. The moment she had pushed him away a couple of months ago had confused him. And the talk they had in the bar the month prior had just left him even more confused about their relationship. 

But in that moment, with the way she was looking at him, Dean was able to finally clear the confusion from his mind. Her eyes close as he softly kisses her. Addison’s hand moves to the back of his neck. She pushes off his leather jacket and shirt. Dean breaks away to pull off his black t-shirt. Sam had stitched up the cut on his shoulder earlier that day, but she wasn’t looking at the bandage. Addison was looking at the handprint on his shoulder. There was something more sensual about the way she lightly touched it. His hands slide under her dark blue sweatshirt, trailing over her back.

Addison trails her hands over his chest. Her lips touch every inch that she can reach until he pulls her into a kiss. Dean pushes up her sweatshirt and it lands on the floor. They fall back onto the bed. Her hands roam over his back, feeling the muscles flex under her touch. He lightly bites her shoulder, then soothes it with his tongue. Addison moans when his lips move over her breasts. Her hand moves through his hair as he takes a nipple in his mouth.

“Dean,” Addison moans, moving her hips. He smirks, moving down her body. His tongue trailing over her soft skin. She reaches down to his belt. Dean pulls her hands away from his belt and holds them above her head. He was going to take his time. He wanted to do this right. He didn’t want it to be like the last they were together. She softly smiles and presses her lips against his, intertwining their fingers. Addison moans as he slides back down her body. Dean grips the top of her yoga pants.

A knock comes from the door and they both freeze. “Ads,” Sam’s voice calls through the door. Dean groans, burying his face in her stomach. He silently curses his younger brother. “Ads?” Dean looks up at her and finds a frustrated look on Addison’s face. Reluctantly, he stands up. He grabs her sweatshirt and hands it to her. Addison pulls him down into a soft kiss. His hand tangles in her hair. And Dean’s tempted to push her back onto the bed, to continue and not give his brother another thought. “Addison?”

This time, Dean does move away. He grabs his shirts and jackets off the floor as Addison pulls on her sweatshirt. She shoots him a smile and he ducks into the bathroom, leaving the door cracked. “You woke me up,” Addison lies, opening the motel door.

“Shit, Ads,” Sam says, looking at the bruises. Dean turns when he hears his brother enter the room. He can see Sam in the mirror outside the bathroom and watches Sam inspect the bruises on her, much like he had.

“I’m fine,” Addison replies, moving away from him. “Looks worse then it feels.”

Sam’s hands fall to his sides. “I’m going to get some dinner, you wanna come with?”

“I”m really tired, Sam.”

Sam nods, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’ll bring you back some soup. Chicken noodle?”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

He starts towards the door, but turns back and hugs Addison. She freezes for a moment, then returns the embrace. Dean watches as his brother kisses her cheek, then walks out of the room. Once the motel door closes, Dean emerges from the bathroom, pulling on his t-shirt. “I should probably go before he comes back.”

“Please don’t,” Addison softly says, looking up at him. “I just…I don’t want to be alone.” Dean stares at her, then tosses his jacket and shirt on the empty bed. Addison watches as he kicks off his boots.

Sam stares in confusion at seeing the Impala in the parking lot. The motel didn’t have a bar nor was there one within walking distance of their motel. The only thing within walking distance was a laundry mat and a sandwich store. He hears a door open and looks up at the second floor. He silently watches a Dean puts the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door for Addison’s room. “Finally,” Sam mutters, with a smile.


	14. Death Takes a Holiday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Addison leans against the juke box, watching as Dean flips through the songs. Her gaze widens and she pushes his hand away before flipping back the page. "No," Dean says, shaking his head. "Nope. Not gonna happen." She stares at him. "You're not making me listen to angry chick music."

Addison rolls her eyes. "It's not angry chick music."

"It's angry chick music."

"You let me play it in the Impala once."

"Only because you agreed to do that thing I wanted you to do. Which you never let me do by the way."

"Dean, it's one song."

"No."

She turns away, shoulders slumped. "It's just one song," Addison sniffles.

Dean lets out a groan. "Fine." Addison turns around and grins as he puts the money in the jukebox. "I hate you," he says as 'You Oughta Know' starts playing in the dinner.

"Oh, you love me," Addison amusedly says as they walk over to the table where Sam was sitting. Recognizing the song, Sam shoots Dean a questioning look, but Dean glares at him. "Find anything?"

"Bobby found something in Wyoming," Sam replies.

"A job," Dean asks, picking up his burger.

"Maybe. Small town, no one's died in the past week and a half."

Addison raises an eyebrow. "That's a bad thing?"

"Well, it's how they're not dying, Ads. One guy with terminal cancer strolls right out of hospice. Another guy gets capped by a mugger and walks away without a scratch."

"Capped in the ass," Dean asks between bites.

Sam turns his laptop around to face them. An article from a paper in Greybull, Wyoming was on the screen. "Police say Mr. Jenkins was shot in the heart at point blank range by a nine millimeter."

"And he's not a doughnut?"

"Locals are saying it's a miracle."

"Okay."

"It's got to be something nasty, right? I mean, people making deals or something."

"You really think that's it," Addison questions.

"What else would it be," Sam counters. Addison shrugs and looks at her plate of fries. He shoves his laptop into his bag. "All right. Get that to go."

Addison sighs and stands up. She frowns when Dean doesn't move. "Dean?"

Dean looks at Sam. "Sure you want me going with you?"

"Why wouldn't I," Sam asks him.

"I don't want to be holding you back or nothing."

Sam lets out a deep breath. "Dude, I've told you a hundred times, that was the siren talking, not me. Can we get past this?"

Dean sets his burger down and stands up. "Yeah, we're past it." Addison silently watches as he walks out of the diner. She glances at Sam, then follows Dean.

* * *

Addison smiles at the man sitting across the table. His name was Jim and he was one of the people in the small Wyoming town who was still alive despite the odds. He was a middle aged man with a wife and daughter. "Now, you three said you were bloggers," Jim asks them.

"Yes, sir. Floored by the Lord dot com," Sam replies.

"All of God's glory fit to blog," Dean comments.

Addison kicks his leg in annoyance. "People around town are saying that it's a miracle you're alive."

"It was. Plain as day," Jim says.

"How can you be so sure," Sam questions.

"How else do you explain it? The doctors can't. There's a bullet in my heart and it's pumping like a piston."

"Well, how do you explain it," Dean asks.

Jim glances into the living room. "Look, honestly. I was nobody's saint - not exactly father of the year either. But when that guy shot me and I didn't bleed a drop? I just knew the Lord was giving me a second chance."

"That so?"

"I had this feeling - like angels were watching over me. I wouldn't expect you guys to understand."

"Well, we'll just have to try."

"You wouldn't have happened to have swung by a crossroads in the past week or so," Sam asks.

A confused look crosses Jim's face. "No."

"Maybe you met someone? With black eyes? Or red?"

"Who'd you guys say you were again?"

"Thank you for your time," Addison says, standing up. She shoots Jim another smile before walking out of the house with the guys.

* * *

Addison glances at Dean while they sat at the table in the motel room researching. Sam was out, interviewing another resident who had a miraculous recovery. She knew everything that had happened with the siren was still bothering him. The door opens and she looks up from her laptop to see Sam. "Hey," he greets.

Dean glances at him from behind Sam's computer. "Anything?"

"That cancer survivor? He was clinically dead, his wife pulled the plug and now he's taking her out for their twentieth anniversary."

"Any sign of a deal."

"No. What about you guys? Found anyone dying around here?"

"Not since Cole Griffith. He dropped ten days ago. It was the last death I could find."

"So, what are you thinking?"

"Maybe it's what everyone is saying," Addison says.

Sam scoffs. "Miracle? Addison, in our experience, when do miracles just happen?"

"There's no evidence that anyone made a deal. And there's no faith healers within a hundred miles, Sam. People just aren't going into the light."

"Maybe cause there's no one around take them," Sam says after a moment.

"What do you mean," Dean asks, closing the computer.

"Well, grim reapers - thats what they do, right? Schelp souls? So, if Death ain't in town—"

"Then people aren't dying," Addison finishes. "It makes sense in a way."

"So, what? The local reaper's on strike," Dean argues, standing up. "Playing the back nine? I don't know."

"Well, then, let's talk to somebody who might," Sam says.

"Well, last I checked, huggy bear ain't available."

"No, the kid."

"The kid? The kid's a door nail."

"Exactly. Look, if he was the last person to die around here, then maybe he's seen something. We should talk to him."

Dean shakes his head in disbelief. "I love how matter of fact you are about that. Strange lives."

Addison scoffs. "You just figured that out now?" She laughs when Dean raises a middle finger in response as he enters the bathroom.

* * *

Addison pulls her pea coat close as she leans against Dean, who was looking through John's journal while perched on a tombstone. Sam was kneeling in front of Cole Griffith's grave, preparing for the ritual to call Cole's spirit. "You think this gonna work," she asks Sam.

Sam glances at her. "No. But if his spirit's around, this should smoke him out." Dean snaps John's journal closed. "What?"

"This job is jacked, that's what," Dean counters.

"How so?"

"You want me to gank a monster or torch a corpse, hey, let's light it up, right? But this? If we fix whatever this is, people are gonna start dropping dead. Good people."

Sam sighs and stands up. "Look, I don't want them to die either, Dean, but there's a natural order."

"Sam, that's a bunch of bullshit," Addison says.

He frowns. "What?"

"Come on, you guys have avoided Death more times than Wile E. Coyote."

"Yeah, but the normal rules don't really apple to us, do they, Ads?"

Dean scoffs. "We're no different than anybody else."

"I'm infected with demon blood. You've been to Hell," Sam argues. He sighs. "Look, I know you want to think of yourself as Joe the Plumber, Dean, but you're not. Neither am I. The sooner you accept that, the better off you're gonna be.

"Except Joe the Plumber was douche," Addison mutters, causing Dean to chuckle.

Sam shoots them an annoyed look. "You guys gonna help finish this?"

Addison pushes away from the tombstone and walks over to him. "Hey!" The trio looks up to see a bearded man, shining a flash light at them. "What are you doing here?"

They exchange looks. "Uh...Just take it easy," Sam says.

"What the hell is this," the man demands, looking at the makeshift alter.

"Oh, this...this isn't what it looks like," Addison lies.

"Really? Cause it looks like devil worship."

"What? No! No, this is not devil worship. This - this is...this - this is, uh..." Dean trails off. "I don't have a good answer."

"We're leaving," Sam tells the man.

"You're not going anywhere," the man says, stepping forward. "Ever again. Sam."

Addison tenses when the man's eyes go white. "Alastair," Dean says in realization. "I thought you got deep fried, extra crispy."

"Just the pediatrician I was riding. His wife's still looking for him. It's hilarious. Anyway. No time to chant. Got a hot date with Death." With a couple of flicks of his wrist, Alastair sends Dean and Addison flying into a couple of tombstones. Sam glares at the demon, but doesn't move. Alastair frowns he waves his hand, but nothing happens. "You're stronger, Sam. You've ben solo flexing with your little slut?"

Sam raises his hand, a smirk on his face. "You have no idea," he says, then sends the demon flying into a tree. He concentrates, picturing pulling Alastair out of the man. The man's mouth opens and a cloud of smoke flies out catching Sam off guard. Dejectedly, he watches the smoke disappear.

* * *

Sam enters the motel room to find Dean on one bed with a bag of ice on his head and Addison on the other with her head buried under a pillow. "How you guys doing," he asks, shrugging his heavy coat off.

"I'm in pain," Dean counters, slowly sitting up. "That's how I'm doing. I think I have a concussion." With a smirk, he tosses the bag of ice onto Addison's back. She immediately tosses it back at him, before sitting up.

Sam shakes his head at their antics. "You guys want some aspirin?"

"No thanks, House. So, demons, huh?"

"Yeah. So much for miracles."

"So, what happened with Alastair," Addison asks.

"I told you, he tried to fling me or whatever," Sam tells him, turning on the coffee maker. "And it didn't work, so he bailed."

"Well, how come he couldn't fling you," Dean questions. "He chucked you pretty good last time."

Sam glances at Dean. "Got no idea."

"Sam, do me a favor. If you're gonna keep your little secrets, I can't really stop you, but just don't treat me like an idiot, okay?"

"What? Dean, I'm not keeping secrets."

"Mm hmm. Whatever. So, did you go back and q and a the dead kid?

Sam takes a small notebook out of his coat's pocket. "Didn't have to. Bobby called. He did some digging."

"And?"

"He thinks I'm right. Local reapers gone. Not just gone - kidnapped."

Addison frowns. "Why would a bunch of demons kidnap reapers?"

"Listen to this. 'And he bloodied Death under the newborn sky, sweet to taste, but bitter when once devoured.'"

"Swanky," Dean replies. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"Well, it's from a very obscure, very arcane version of Revelations."

"Which means what I think it means?"

Sam snaps his notebook closed and tosses it on the table. "Basically, you kill a reaper under the solstice moon - tomorrow night, by the way - you got yourself a broken seal."

"How do you ice a reaper? You can't kill Death."

"I don't know. Maybe demons can. Where the hell are the angels is what I want to know. We could use their help for once."

Dean shrugs, sitting down by Addison. "It looks like we're gonna have to take care of this one ourselves."

"What are we gonna do? Just swing in and save the friendly neighborhood reaper?"

"You got a better idea, I'm all ears."

"Dean, reapers are invisible. The only people that can see them are the dead and the dying."

"Well, if ghosts are the only ones that can them..." They stare at Dean, waiting. "Then we become ghosts."

Sam scoffs. "You do have a concussion."

"Sounds crazy, I know."

"More like you're out of your damn mind," Addison mutters. "How are we going do this dumbass idea of yours anyway?" Dean smirks at them in response.

* * *

Addison paces around the motel room, waiting for Dean to get back. She didn't know why she always let Dean talk her into being apart of his insane ideas. "Ads, you okay," Sam asks, from where he was sitting at the table with his laptop.

She lets out a sigh, sitting down across from him. "I'm fine, Sam. Through, I am questioning my sanity at how I let Dean keep talking me into going along with these crazy ideas of his."

A knock comes from the door and Addison quickly opens it. "I can't begin to tell you how crazy you three are," Pamela greets, entering the room with Dean.

"Well, Pamela, you're a sigh for sore eyes," Sam replies, standing up.

Pamela lowers her sunglass to reveal her white eyes. "Awe, that's sweet, grumpy. What do you say to deaf people?" Addison bites back a laugh when an embarrassed look crosses Sam's face. "Which one of you brainiacs came up with astral projection?"

"That would be Dean," Addison answers causing Dean to shoot her an annoyed look.

Pamela sighs, sitting down on a bed. "Of course. Chachi. So, let's be clear. You want to rip your souls out of your bodies and take a little stroll through the spirit world? Do you have any idea how heavy duty insane that is?"

"Maybe, but that's where the reaper is, so..." Dean trails off.

"So, it's nuts."

"Not if you know what you're doing."

"You don't know what you're doing."

"No, but you do."

"Yeah, I do. And guess what? I'm sick of being hauled back into your angel demon, Soc-Greaser crap."

Dean glares at the blind woman. "Look, I'd love to be kicking back with a cold one, watching Judge Judy too—"

"Nice. More blind jokes?"

"You know what I mean," Dean snaps. "We're talking the end of the world here, okay? No more tasseled leather pants, no more Ramones CDs, no more nothing. We need your help."

"Let's get to work then," Pamela reluctantly agrees. The trio gets to work, setting up the room. Addison closes the curtains while Dean and Sam set up some candles. Pamela was sitting on a chair in between the beds. "Tell me something, geniuses, even if you do break into the veil and you find the reaper, how you gonna save it?"

"With style and class," Dean answers.

"You're gonna be three walking pieces of fog who can't touch or move anything. You'll be defenseless, hotshot."

"I seem to recall a bunch of ghosts beating the crap out of us," Sam argues.

"Except those ghosts had a hell of a lot of time to practice," Addison counters.

"Well, then I guess we got to start cramming," Dean states.

Pamela scoffs. "Wow, heroes." She pats the bed on her right side. "All right. Lie down. Close your eyes."

Addison and Dean lie down on one bed while Sam lies on the other one. "Relax, Ads," Dean whispers. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

Pamela softly chants. "Okay guys," she finishes. "That's it. Showtime."

Addison stands up. Nothing felt different. "Well, nothing like shooting blanks," Dean says, looking between Sam and Addison. "What's plan B?"

Sam motions to the bed and they turn. Addison's gaze widens seeing her body still on the bed. "Creepy," she says.

"Oh, I'm so feeling up Demi Moore."

"Yeah, you do that, Dean."

"All right, so I'm assuming you're somewhere over the rainbow," Pamela tells them. "Remember I have to bring you back." They watch as Pamela slowly stands up and bends over Sam's body. "I'll whisper the incantation in your ear."

Sam grins as Pamela whispers. Addison and Dean exchange a confused look. "What'd she - what'd she say," Dean asks. Sam shrugs and they walk out of the room. As they walk around the small town, a jogger runs through Sam causing Dean to laugh. "That was wild." Sam shoots him a disbelieving look. Addison laughs when Dean shoves his arm into Sam's chest. Sam just glares at his older brother. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Get out of me," Sam says.

"You're such a prude," Dean replies, pulling his arm out. "Come on."

Dean walks off and Addison catches up with him. She reaches up and puts a hand in Dean's head. "I always knew there was nothing but air in your head." Dean puts his hand through her chest in response. "I think that's my heart."

"Guys," Sam says, shooting them annoyed looks. They pull away from each other and the trio sets off searching the town.

* * *

"Oh, man, we've been spooking this town for hours," Dean complains. Addison sighs as they walk around the residential neighborhood. "No demons, no black smoke. I say we hit Victoria's Secret and get our peep on, huh?"

"No thanks," Addison replies.

"Hey. Three o'clock," Sam says, motioning to a house. It was two stories with a wrap around porch. Addison looks up and sees a someone in window. "Kid in the window. Am I crazy or is he looking at us?"

"It's cause we've seen him before," Dean tells him.

"We have?"

"Yeah, it's Cole Griffith," Addison explains. "He's the last person to die here."

The trio makes their way into the house and up to the second floor. When they enter the room, Cole's throwing balls. First at a woman, then at them. "Stop," Dean shouts. Cole drops a tennis ball. "How are you doing that?"

"Who are you," Cole counters.

"Relax, Cole. It's okay," Sam says.

"How do you know my name?"

"Look, this isn't gonna be easy to hear, but...you're dead. You're a spirit. Us too."

"Yeah, thanks, Haley Joel," Cole snaps. "I know I'm dead. What do you want?"

"Hey, we just want to talk to you," Addison says.

Cole frowns. "About what?"

"About when you died."

Cole stares at them, then walks out of the room. Addison shrugs and they follow him. "I had an asthma attack," he tells them. The enter the kitchen to find the woman pouring a glass of vodka. "I was outside all morning. They tell you to be careful when it's cold."

"Cold air can cause an asthma attack," Dean questions.

Cole nods. "But then I was in my room. It happened to fast. I called out for my mom, but nothing came out. Everything started spinning and then I was just standing there, looking down at my body."

"Did anyone show up soon after that," Addison asks.

"Creepy old guy in a black suit. He wanted me to go with him but..." Cole glances at his mother. "I didn't want to go."

"Reaper," Sam states. "How'd you get rid of him?"

"I didn't. The black smoke did."

"Black smoke," Dean repeats.

"It was everywhere. I hid in the closet and when I came out, it was gone and so was he."

"Do you know where the smoke went?"

"No. But I know where it is." Suddenly, the lights start flickering. Cole looks around, scared. "They're back."

"Who," Dean asks, but Cole disappears.

Wind blows past them and a figure runs through the room. "Another reaper," Sam says as they follow the figure.

They see the figure going up the stairs. "Hey! Hey! Wait," Dean shouts. "We need to talk to you!"

A tall, dark haired woman walks down. "Dean," she greets.

Sam and Addison shoot Dean confused glances. But he seemed just as confused as they were. "Do I know you?"

"We go way back," she replies. Dean stares. "You don't remember me?"

Dean chuckles. "Honestly, if I had a nickel for every time I heard a girl say that..." He clears his throat. "You're gonna have to freshen my memory." The woman pulls him into a kiss. Dean pulls back, recognition on his face. "Tessa."

Tessa nods. "That's one of my names, yeah."

"So, you know her then," Addison asks Dean.

Dean glances at her. "From the hospital after the accident."

"The accident with Dad," Sam questions and Dean nods. "So, this is the reaper that came after you."

"Well, this was fun," Tessa says, turning back towards the stair. "Now, if you'll excuse me—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean interrupts. "You can't take the kid."

"Why?"

"Demons are in town, that's why. They've already snatched your reaper pal. The kid knows where."

"So?"

"You should get out of town," Addison says. "I mean, demons could be coming to get you too."

"Except that this town is off the rails. And someone has to set it straight."

"Yeah, we understand that, but these are special circumstances," Dean argues.

"What? Your whole angel demon dance off? I could care less. I just want to do my job."

"Right, yeah, and look, we want to help you do your job. So, if you would just bail town—" Sam starts.

"No."

"Well, then, could you hold off until we fix this? Please," Dean asks.

Tessa sighs. "All right, but just so we're clear, when I start reaping again, I'm starting with the kid."

"Understood. I'll find him," Sam says, starting up the stairs.

"What are you gonna say," Addison asks.

Sam shrugs. "Whatever I have to."

Addison frowns, watching him run up the stairs. She turns and finds Dean in the kitchen with Tessa. She shakes her head and sits down on the couch. She leans back and closes her eyes. Hearing someone sit down next to her, she looks to see Dean. Addison glances at where Tessa is standing by the stairs. "I figured you guys had a lot of catching up to do," she says. Dean shrugs, but doesn't say anything.

Footsteps sound on the stairs and they look to see Sam with Cole behind him. "Hey," Sam says.

Tessa steps towards the kid. "Hey, Cole. I'm Tessa. I'm not going to hurt you."

"It's okay, Cole," Sam reassures. "Just tell them what you told me."

"I saw the black smoke at my funeral," Cole says.

"At the cemetery," Addison asks.

"At the funeral home," Cole corrects. "It was everywhere."

The lights start flickering for a second. Dean and Addison stand up and look around. "You doing that," Dean asks the reaper.

"No," Tessa replies.

The front door flies open and a black cloud flies into the room. The trio and Cole duck to the ground. When the cloud is gone, everyone stands up only to notice that Tessa was gone. "You okay," Addison asks Cole.

"Well, how the hell are we supposed to fight that," Dean asks aloud.

Sam shrugs. "I don't know. Learn some ghost moves?"

Dean scoffs. "By tonight? Yeah, sure. I'll meet you back at Mr. Miyagi's."

"Who's Mr. Miyagi," Cole asks, looking between the three hunters.

* * *

The trio had spent the majority of the afternoon working with Cole to learn how to be ghosts. Now, through, they stood outside the funeral home staring at the neon symbols that covered the outside. "This looks like New Jack City," Dean states. "Can nobody see this?"

"Maybe it's demon invisible ink. Only see it in the veil," Sam replies.

"Then what is it keeping out," Addison asks. The guys look at her. "C'mon, no one, demon or not, goes through that much work unless they want to keep something out."

"Guess we'll find out," Sam says.

Entering the funeral home, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It's when they enter a large room, that they find something. An eight pointed star was painted on the floor. In each of the corners of the star was a strange symbol that none on of them had seen before. Tessa and another reaper were lying inside the star. A man stood on the other side of the room, but he hadn't noticed them. "Check me out," Dean whispers before disappearing.

Addison watches as Dean reappears right behind the demon and taps him on the shoulder. When the demon turns, Dean punches him. The demon turns back to punch Dean, but he's gone. The demon looks around the room. Something touches his shoulder and the demon turns, only to be punched by Sam. Addison appears on the right side of the demon and slams a fist into his cheek. Sam grabs his shoulders and rams a knee into the demon's chest. The demon falls onto the ground and Dean delivers a swift kick as it scrambles towards one of the coffins on display around the room.

"You know, this ghost thing, it's - it's kind of rad," Dean says.

"Yeah? Well, I can't wait to get back inside of my body," Addison counters. Another demon runs out from behind a curtain with a chain in his hands and wraps it around a stand.

"It's iron," Sam says, noticing the demon's hands smoking. They look around them and find the chain had trapped them in a rectangle.

A door opens and they turn to see the demon from the cemetery enter the room. "Find the place okay," Alastair greets, walking over to them. A demon hands him a shotgun. Alastair checks it, then fires at Dean, who disappears. "Rock salt not so much fun anymore, is it?"

Sam glares at Alastair as Addison remains still. Dean reappears next to them. "Alastair," Dean coldly replies. "You bastard."

"Well, go on," Alastair mocks Sam. "Why don't you try some of your mojo on me now, hotshot? It's hard to get it up when you're not wearing your meat, huh?"

"Go to hell," Sam snaps.

"Ah, if only I could. But they just keep sending me back up this arctic craphole."

"So you can kill Death," Addison asks.

"No, to kill Death twice. It takes two to break a seal. I figured another one would show up, though. They're like lemmings." Alastair fires at Sam and he disappears. "By the way, it's, uh, good to see you again, Dean."

"You can shoot us all you want, but you can't kill us," Dean angrily tells the demon. Sam reappears as Alastair tosses the shotgun to the side.

They watch as Alastair picks up a scythe. "Any hoo," the demon continues. "Moon's in the right spot. The board is set. Let's get started, shall we?"

"You're gonna kill a reaper with that? It's little on the nose, don't you think?"

"Is it? An old friend lent it to me. You know, he doesn't really ride a pale horse. But he does have three amigos. And they're just jonesing for the apocalypse. It pays to have friends in low places. Don't you think," Alastair says, pulling the reaper up. He chants then slices the reaper's throat with the scythe. A bright light emits from the reaper.

Addison stares as Alastair pulls Tessa up. Sam subtly elbows her. She looks at him and sees him glance above Tessa and Alastair. A large iron chandelier was hanging from the ceiling. Together, the three of them concentrate on bringing the chandelier down. Suddenly, it crashes on the star painted on the floor, scratching the paint. Tessa vanishes from Alastair's grip and reappears by the stand. She unwraps the iron chain and the four of them leave the funeral home.

Dean, Addison, and Tessa appear outside of the funeral home. Addison frowns. "Where's Sam," she asks, turning to Tessa.

"I don't know," Tessa replies.

"We'll find him. You get out of here," Dean tells her.

Addison sighs as Tessa disappears. Neither of them say anything as they walk down an alley. Addison gasps and shoots up in the motel room. She watches as Pamela makes her way around the bed to Dean. She stands up and moves away from the beds, running a hand through her hair.

"Hey, we just got to talk to Tessa, that's all," Sam says. Addison turns to see Pamela slump down into a nearby chair. "Get her to hold off reaping till we get you better."

"I'm pretty sure she's started up again," Pamela breathes, pressing a hand against her side. Blood was seeping through her shirt.

Addison runs into the bathroom and grabs a towel. She kneels down next to Pamela, but the older woman waves her off. "We can get you to a hospital," she says.

"What happened?" Addison looks over her shoulder to see Dean standing by his bed.

"Dean, where's Tessa," Sam asks.

Dean lets out deep breath. "She's..."

Pamela takes off her sunglass and lays them on the table. "Pamela, I'm so sorry," Sam says, moving towards her.

"Stop," Pamela tells him.

"You don't deserve this."

"Yeah, I don't. I told you I didn't want anything to do with this. Do me a favor? Tell that bastard Bobby Singer to go to Hell for ever introducing me to you three in the first place."

Addison drops the towel and moves away from Pamela. She blinks back the tears. "Take it easy, Pamela," Dean says "If it's any consolation, you're going to a better place."

Pamela scoffs. "You're lying. But what the hell, right? Everybody's got to go sometime." She waves to Sam. "Come here."

Addison looks down at the ground, tears slipping down her face. She couldn't watch another friend die, especially when they were responsible for her death.


	15. On the Head of a Pin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Addison stares out the window at the passing scenery, despite the fact that it was nearly midnight. Sam was driving for a change. "Ruby will meet us in Cheyenne. She's been tracking some leads. I know she's not exactly on your Christmas list, but if she can help us get to Lilith—" Sam begins.

"Hey, man, work with Ruby, don't. I don't really give a fuck," Dean numbly replies. He was leaning against the passenger door.

Sam glances at his older brother. "What's your problem?"

"Pamela didn't want anything to do with this and we dragged her back into it, Sam."

"She knew what was at stake."

"Oh, yeah. Saving the world. And we're doing such a fucking good job of it."

“Dean—"

"I'm tired of burying friends, Sam."

"Look, we catch a fresh trial—"

"And we follow it, I know. Like I said, I'm just getting tired."

"Well, get angry."

"Yeah, because that ends so well," Addison mutters. Sam glances at her in the rearview mirror, but she doesn't meet his gaze.

A few hours later, Sam parks the Impala in front of the motel and they climb out. "Ah, home crappy home," Dean says as Sam flips on the light.

Uriel and Castiel were standing in the middle of the room. "Winchester and Winchester," Uriel greets, ignoring Addison.

"Fuck off," Addison snaps. She was exhausted, mentally and physical. And she wanted nothing more to climb into a warm bed and sleep for a week. Dean and Sam stare at her, equally surprised.

Uriel glares at her and Addison doesn't waver. "Stay out of this, mud monkey." He turns to Dean and Sam. "You are needed."

Dean glares. "Needed? We just got back from needed."

"Mind your tone with me."

"No, you mind your fucking tone with us.

"We just buried our friend Pamela," Addison coldly explains.

Seeing the angry look on Uriel's face, Dean steps protective in front of Addison. "Pamela. You know, psychic Pamela? You remember her. Cas, you remember. You burned her eyes out. Remember that? Good times. Yeah, then she died saving one of you precious seals. So, maybe you can stop pushing us around like chess pieces for five fucking minutes!"

"We raised you out of Hell for our purposes," Uriel coldly tells him.

"Yeah, what were those again? What exactly did you want from me?"

"Start with gratitude."

Dean scoffs. "Yeah."

"Dean, we know this is difficult to understand," Castiel says.

"And we don't care," Uriel continues, shooting Castiel a look. "Now, seven angels have been murdered, all of them from our garrison. The last one was killed tonight."

"Demons? How they doing it," Dean questions.

"We don't know."

"I'm sorry, but what do you want us to do about it," Sam asks. "I mean, a demon with the juice to ice angels has to be out of our league, right?"

"We can handle the demons, thank you very much."

"Once we find whoever it is," Castiel explains.

"What? You guys need help hunting down a demon," Addison asks.

"Not quite. We have Alastair."

"Great. He should be able to name your trigger man," Dean states.

"But he won't talk. Alastair's will is very strong. We've arrived at an impasse."

"Yeah, well, he's like a black belt in torture. I mean, you guys are out of your league."

"That's why we've come to his student," Uriel says. Addison tenses and looks at Dean. "You happen to be the most qualified interrogator we've got."

"Dean, you are our best hope," Castiel says.

Dean shakes his head. "No. No way. You can't ask me to do this, Cas. Not this."

Uriel walks over to Dean. "Who said anything about asking?"

A flutter of wings and Addison looks around the motel room only to realize that she and Sam are the only ones left. "Damn it," Sam shouts.

"Sam, tell Ruby to get her ass here now," Addison says, looking at him. "He was barely holding it together before. If they force him to..."

Sam turns to her. "I'm gonna find him, Addison."

* * *

Addison anxiously watches as Ruby chants while holding a candle to a map of Wyoming. She wasn't the biggest fan of having Ruby help them. But she just wanted to find Dean. And she definitely didn't want to think about what Sam had meant when said he was strong enough to take on Alastair. The map catches fire. "Relax," Ruby says. "The fire is our friend. Besides, the only part of the map we need is the 'where's Dean?' part. Out." The flames vanish, leaving a small part of the map. "There. Dean's there. It's a good thing angels aren't concerned with hiding their dirty business. Not used to being spied on. I mean, who'd be stupid enough to try?"

Addison grabs the map and her coat. "Don't take too long," she tells Sam before walking out of the motel room. Half an hour later, Sam finally emerges from the room. She remains silent as he climbs into the driver's seat of the Impala and they take off down the road. She knew what he had done.

_Addison sighs as she pulls on Sam's t-shirt. She raises an eyebrow spotting the flask in the bottom of Sam's duffle. Shrugging, Addison grabs it and takes a quick swig. She coughs as the thick, copper tasting substance hits her throat. She pours a little bit in her hand and her gaze widens seeing blood._

_The motel door opens and Addison turns to see Sam enter. He stops when he sees the flask in her hand. "Sam, why do you have flask of blood?"_

_Sam closes the door and walks over to her. He takes the flask out of her hand. He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "It's demon blood."_

_“What…Are you drinking demon blood?"_

_“Yes.”_

_Addison stares at him. “Why?”_

_“Ads, according to Ruby, since I already have demon blood in me, drinking more will just make me stronger. And it has. I don’t get headaches anymore, no nosebleeds.”_

_A confused look crosses her face. “What do you mean ‘already have demon blood’ in you?”_

_Sam sighs, realizing that she didn’t know about what had happened all those years ago. “The night Mom died, Azazel came into my nursery and dripped demon blood into my mouth.”_

_“And that’s how you got your psychic stuff?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“And drinking more demon blood makes your psychic stuff stronger?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_Addison nods. “Okay.”_

_“‘Okay,’” Sam repeats. “You’re not going to tell me that it’s wrong, that Dean wouldn’t want me to do this?”_

_“You are an adult, Sam, and are free to make your own choices without getting a lecture,” Addison softly says. She shoots him a smile and crawls onto her bed._

* * *

_Sam pushes away from the Impala when he sees Addison walk out of the church that sunny Sunday morning. He was worried about her. She had been pulling away and keeping to herself lately. And he couldn’t help but feel that it was his fault. “Hey,” Addison greets with a smile. “You’re a little late for mass.”_

_“Are you okay,” Sam asks, placing a hand on her shoulder._

_Addison smiles. “I’m fine, Sam.”_

_Sam nods. “Good. Listen, I found a job not far from here. I figured we could check it out.”_

_“You’re not working with Ruby anymore?”_

_“No, no, no. She’s following up some leads and she won’t be back for a few days. So, I figured we could do this case or hang out.”_

_“Let’s go check out this case.”_

Addison shifts in the passenger seat of the Impala as it speeds down the dark highway. Sam hadn't said a word since they left the motel. "When are you gonna tell Dean about the demon blood," she asks, breaking the silence.

“When were you gonna tell me that you and Dean finally got together,” Sam counters, glances at her. She frowns. “I saw him in your room after we dealt with the siren.”

“He wanted to see how I was doing.”

“And it took him all night to do that? How long have you guys been hooking up anyway?”

Addison sighs. “That was the first time. And don’t, okay. I know if it’s not healthy. But if sleeping with Dean means that for five minutes he doesn’t feel like complete shit, then okay. And I’m sorry for pushing you. I know you’ll tell him in your own time.”

“Ads, I have no problem with you and Dean hooking up. If it makes you both happy, then I’m all for it.” He reaches over and tightly grasps her hand. “I promise that we’re gonna get him back.”

“I’m worried about how he’s gonna be when we do get him back,” Addison softly confesses.

Silence settles over the Impala once again. They pull up to a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Sam glances at Addison as they climb out of the Impala. "Stay back," he orders.

Addison nods and cautiously follows him into the warehouse. The large room was empty. Addison stands back as Sam enters a room off to the right side. She stands there for a moment, then follows him. Her gaze lands on a bloodied Dean lying on the floor and she runs over to him.

Sam stood, hand outstretched and coldly staring at Alastair. The demon was pressed against the wall, held by an invisible barrier. "Who's murdering the angels? How are they doing it," Sam questions.

"You think I'm gonna tell you," Alastair retorts.

"Yeah, I do." With a twist of his hand, Sam watches as Alastair groans in pain. "How are the demons killing angels?"

"I don't know."

"Right."

"It's not us. We're not doing it."

"I don't believe you."

"Lilith is not behind this. She wouldn't kill seven angels. Oh, she'd kill a hundred, a thousand. Oh, go ahead. Send me back, if you can."

"I'm stronger than that now. Now I can kill."

Addison looks up at that. She looks between Sam and Alastair, watching as Sam concentrates and the demon screams as an orange flash comes from within him. The body that Alastair had been using slides down the wall. Sam turns to Dean and sees his older brother, unconscious. He was covered in blood. Addison had pulled his head into her lap. She immediately avoids meeting Sam's gaze. "He - he won't wake up," she says, fighting back her tears. "We gotta - we gotta get him to a - a hospital."

_Addison laughs as she enter the motel room with Sam. The case he had found turned out to be an elaborate prank by some savvy high school seniors. Sam was covered in neon green paint. Addison pulls out her iPhone and he reaches for her phone. She quickly moves out of the way and he grabs her arm. “Sam, no,” Addison shouts, trying to get away as he pulls her against his chest._

_Sam lets her go and he can’t help but laugh seeing her covered in paint. “I had to do it, Ads,” he amusedly replies and she shoots him an annoyed look._

_“Yeah, well, you can wait out here while I take a hot shower,” Addison tells him as she slips into the bathroom. Sam shakes his head in disbelief and pulls off his paint covered shirt. The bathroom door opens and he turns to see Addison walk out in her bra and jeans. She quickly crosses the room and pulls him into a kiss. His arm goes around her waist and pulls her flush against his chest. She pulls back, breathing heavily. “We should shower together to save hot water.”_

_“Ads…” He trails off. Everything he had pushed down after discovering the exact terms of Dean’s deal were making their way up. He had buried himself in saving Dean while Addison hadn’t made her feelings known._

_“Sam…” Addison shakes her head and starts towards the bathroom. He grabs her wrist and she looks at him. He closes the space between them and presses his lips against hers. Her hand trails down his chest. He picks her up and her legs automatically go around his waist._

* * *

_Addison stares at the amulet in her hand. The amulet was of a human head with horns. It was the amulet Dean had worn for years. She never wore it, but kept it tucked away with her Bible. She had taken it from his body before they had buried him. The door opens and Sam walks in with a tray of coffee and a paper bag. “I got some breakfast,” he says, putting the tray and paper bag on the dingy motel dining table. He frowns at the look on her face. “Ads, you okay?”_

_She shoots him a smile. “I’m fine.”_

_Sam kneels down in front of her. He reaches up and lightly touches her cheek. “You’ve crying.”_

_Addison touches her face. “I didn’t realize I had.”_

_He notices the amulet Dean used to always wear clutched in her hand. “I was wondering where that had went.”_

_Addison’s grip tightens on the amulet. “Sorry. I just…I had to have something of his.”_

_“I get it.”_

_She holds out the amulet to him. “I think Dean would want you to have it. I mean you’re the one who gave it to him.”_

_He closes her hand into a fist. “And I want you to have it, Ads. Dean loved you.”_

_Addison scoffs. “Yeah. He waited until the day before he died to actually say the words.”_

_Sam frowns. “Really?”_

_“Mhmm. Part of it was my fault. Part of it was his fault. We both made mistakes.” She shakes her head. “Look, Sam, about last night—”_

_“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that—”_

_“It was really good, but it felt weird.” Sam stares at Addison with a frown. “It’s not you. I swear. No matter how cliche that is, but I promise it’s not you. It’s me. I thought—”_

_“Ads, you don’t have say anything. I get it.” Sam tightly grasps her hand. “I can’t bring Dean back, Ads, but I can kill Lilith.”_

_Addison sighs. “I know you want to get revenge, Sam, but Dean wouldn’t want you using your psychic abilities. And he wouldn't want you drinking demon blood either.”_

_“Ads…”_

_Addison shakes her head and stands up. “I can’t stop you, Sam. But I’m not gonna go out of my way to help you either.”_

Addison looks up when Sam enters the hospital room. Dean was lying in the bed. A ventilator was breathing for him; an IV was in his arm. His face was covered in bruises and cuts; a bandage was wrapped around his head. More bandages were under the gown the nurses had dressed him in. "What did Castiel say," Addison asks, tightly gripping Dean's hand.

"He's not going to do it," Sam replies, running a hand through his hair. "Says he can't."

"His body just needs time, Sam. The doctor—"

"It's bullshit, Addison. Castiel and Uriel are the reason Dean's like this! They should heal him."

Addison sighs. She knew exactly where Sam's anger was coming from. She too held the angels responsible for the state that Dean was in. But she knew that all they could do was wait for him to wake up. "Sam," she softly begins. "You...you killed Alastair."

Sam meets her gaze. He's surprised to see not only worry, but fear. “Ads—"

"You have to stop, Sam. Stop drinking the demon blood, stop working with Ruby. You have to stop all of it."

"It's because of the demon blood and working with Ruby that I was able to kill Alastair," Sam argues.

"But you have to stop, Sam. Please."

"Why? Because you're scared of me."

Addison shakes her head and stands up. She grabs his hand and reassuring squeezes it. "Not of you. For you. Sam, you've been so focused on getting revenge on Lilith that you didn't think about any of the consequences. You have to stop working with Ruby, stop all of it."

Sam pulls his hand out of her grasp. "No."

She stares at him for a moment, then turns. "I'm going to head to the motel and get sleep. Call me if anything changes?"

"Yeah."

Addison starts out of the room, but stops at the door. She turns back to him. "Sam, please, just think about it."

Sam stands there, watching as she leaves him in the hospital room. With sigh, he sits down in her vacated seat.

* * *

Addison walks down the hospital hallway. It was eerily quiet. She hated it but loved it at the same time. Sam was off doing something. She couldn't remember what, but her guess was that it had something to do with Ruby. Dean had woken and improved over the past couple of days. She enters Dean's room to find him awake and with a pained look on his face. Except she knew that it wasn't physical but emotional pain. She kicks off her Converses and climbs onto the bed next to him. Neither of them do anything. They remain silent. Then Dean turns and buries his face in Addison's chest. She wraps her arms around him. She soothingly rubs his back, ignoring the tears.


	16. It's A Terrible Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Addison Remington lived a normal life. She'd wake up every morning and take a shower. Then she'd make a cup of coffee and drink it while watching the morning news. She'd put on a pencil skirt or pants along with a silk blouse before adding a blazer. She'd pour more coffee into a travel mug, then leave her loft apartment for her job at Sandover Bridge and Iron.

She worked in sales and marketing at the company. Her office was in a corner and she had amazing views of the city. Addison's job required her to spend a lot of time schoomzing with potential clients, trying to convince them to exclusively use Sandover products in their business. Addison's mornings are spent doing paperwork, while she eats lunch with a potential new client. She sprouts out facts that she had memorized about Sandover. The afternoons were spilt between more paperwork and talking to clients on the phone.

Her life was pretty mundane and she was looking for more of adventure. And Addison was more than convinced that it was her desire for an adventure was one of the many reasons she was currently sleeping with her new boss. It's after everyone else leaves for the day, that she makes her way to boss's office.

Dean Smith was sitting behind his desk, talking on a headset when she enters. "Oh, I hear you." Addison locks the door behind her and sits on the edge of his desk. "No, I haven't been to the gym in ages." His gaze is glued to her legs. "Carrying a little bloat around myself. It's sedentary lifestyle, my man, no two ways." Dean grabs a post it and pen. “All right, tell me one more time. You said lemon and what was it? Cayenne and maple syrup, are you serious? How much did you lose? All right, thanks, man."

He pulls off the headset and sets it on the desk. "Lemon, cayenne, and maple syrup," Addison disbelievingly asks.

"He swears it works."

She slips her foot out of the heel and puts it in his lap. "Well, I know workout that you can do."

Dean smirks at her. "My place or yours?"

Addison stands up. She pulls him into a soft kiss. “Yours.”

After retrieving her purse and briefcase from her office, Addison meets him at the elevator. Dean doesn't look up from his phone as he pushes the down button. Even through they hadn't been seeing each other long, she quickly learned that Dean Smith was never far from his phone.

The doors open and she smiles at the man on the elevator. He was tall with dark shaggy hair and wore a yellow tech support shirt. "Do I know either of you?"

Dean glances at Addison and she shakes her head. "I don't think so."

"I'm sorry, man, you both just look really familiar."

"Save it for the health club, pal."

The elevator doors open and Addison and Dean step out. As they walk to their respective cars, she glances over her shoulder. The man was still staring at them. And Addison couldn't help the familiar feeling that came over her.

* * *

Addison yawns as she doodles on the legal pad. She was exhausted, but it's what happened when she stayed up half the night with her boss. There's a knock on the door and she looks up to see Jamie. Jamie had the office next to hers. She had short curly black hair and a tan that Addison was deeply jealous of. "Someone's been spending quality time with Mr. Smith," Jamie teases, sitting down in the chair in front of Addison's desk.

Addison smirks. "What can I say? Mr. Smith likes to go over my paperwork throughly."

Jamie laughs. "And yet, you've still been having those romance novel dreams with a bad boy."

There's a knock on the doorframe and they look to see Dean. "Can I have a word with you, Miss Remington?"

"Of course, Mr. Smith," Addison answers. She glances at Jamie.

"I'll talk to you later," Jamie says, smirking. She smiles at him as she walks out.

Dean closes the door behind Jamie, then sits down across from Addison. She notices the uneasy look on his face. "Everything okay?"

"You hear about what happened in tech support," Dean asks.

"I think everyone heard about that, Dean."

"He had two weeks until he retired, Addison. Why would someone commit suicide with two weeks left?"

Addison shrugs. "Maybe he was depressed. Or took the wrong thing."

Dean hums in agreement. "You want to know what else is weird? The guy in the elevator from the other night. I was in the elevator with him again and he asks if I had any weird dreams. Before that he asked if believed in ghosts and vampires."

Addison laughs. "Sounds like he's the one who's crazy."

Dean stands up. "Lunch?"

"I can't. I'm having lunch with a client. Rain check?"

"My place after work."

Addison nods and watches as he walks out. She looks down at the legal pad. She had written the name 'Sam' over and over. In her dreams, the man from tech support was in them along with Dean. She never told Dean about her dreams, especially the more intimate ones. Even through he was in them. Sighing, Addison rips off the paper and throws it into the trash can.

* * *

Addison comes back from lunch to find the police and a body being wheeled out by a coroner. She spots Dean talking to an police officer. She waits until he finishes and follows Dean to his office. Addison sees the blood on his shirt. "Oh my God. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Dean answers, motioning for her to close the door.

She closes the door, then walks over to him. "Dean, what's going on? What happened?"

He shrugs off the bloody shirt. "I was talking to this guy from tech support. Told him that he filled out the wrong form and he freaked out. He ran to the bathroom and stabbed himself in the neck with a pencil."

Addison hugs him and he relishes the warmth. "I'm sorry you had to see something like that."

Dean kisses her cheek, then reluctantly pulls away. He grabs a clean shirt out of his briefcase. "How was your lunch meeting?"

She rolls her eyes and sits down in front of his desk. "Two hours of being hit on by a drunk sixty year old. And then he said no, but gave me his number anyway."

He glances at her. "What'd you do with the number?"

Addison pulls out a folded piece of paper from the pocket of her blazer. "Unfortunately, Mr. Perv still owns three office buildings. So, I figured I'd let you see if you can close him." She walks over to him and puts her hands on his chest. "Are you sure that you're okay? Because I'm here if you need to talk about it."

Dean leans down and brushes his lips over hers just as a knock comes from the door. He clears his throat and she moves back. "Tonight?"

Addison smiles. "Tonight." She walks over to the opens it to reveal the tech support guy from the other night. She smiles at him and makes her way down to her own office.

It's while she's shoving papers into her briefcase that Addison gets an e-mail. She picks up her iPhone and frowns. "When did HR move to the fourteen," she asks aloud. She rolls her eyes. "Great. Now, I'm talking to myself. Lovely."

Addison's tightly gripping her iPhone as she makes her way to the fourteenth floor. She easily finds room fourteen forty-four and enters. It was dark with old computers piled on metal shelves. "Hello," she calls out, looking around. The door slams shut and she jumps. Addison stares as her breath mists. Suddenly, all of the monitors turn on. The metal shelves rattle. She turns and sees an old man standing in front of her. Addison quickly backs away. She turns to run to the door, but her heel snaps and she tumbles to the ground. The metal shelving unit falls on top of her and she groans.

The old man starts towards her, his hand glowing. The door bursts open and Addison turns to see Dean and the tech support guy run into the room. She watches as they get thrown in opposite directions. Then Dean stands up and swings a wrench at the old man who disappears in a cloud of smoke. "How'd you know how to do that," the tech support guy asks.

"I have no idea," Dean answers, staring at the spot the old man was in amazement.

"Uh, hello," Addison calls out. "Still stuck here."

* * *

Addison follows Dean and Sam, the tech support guy, into Dean's apartment. It was spacious and filled with many top of the line items. He lived in one of the more influential areas of the city. She lived in a loft in the warehouse district and her place was homey. Dean had wanted to drop her off, but Addison refused. Especially after they had told her that the old man that had attacked her might have been a ghost. "Holy shit, dude," Dean states after taking a drink of his cleanse.

"Yeah, I could use a beer," Sam agrees.

"Or three," Addison mutters, sitting down at the table.

"Oh, sorry. I'm on the Cleanse. I got rid of all the carbs in the house," Dean explains.

"Hey. How the hell did you know that ghosts are scared of wrenches," Sam questions, joining Addison at the table.

"Crazy, right? And nice job kicking that door too. That was very Jet Li. What are you, like a black belt or something?"

"No. I have no clue how I did that. It's like...we've done this before."

"What do you mean, before? Like Shirley MacLaine before?"

"No. I - I just can't shake this feeling like I don't belong here. You know? Like I should do something more than sit in a cubicle."

"Hate to break it to you, Sam, but I think almost everyone who works in a cubicle feels that way," Addison comments.

"No. Well, look, it's more that that. Like, I don't like my job. I don't like this town. I don't like my clothes. I don't like my own last name. I don't know how else to explain it, except that...it feels like I should be doing something else. There's just something in my blood. Like I was destined for something different. What about you? You ever feel that way?"

Addison looks away. It was exactly how she had been feeling the last few weeks. But she ignored it and put on the smile that was expected of her. The only time she didn’t feel like that was when she was with Dean. ”I don't believe in destiny," Dean says. "I do believe in dealing with what's right in front of us though."

"All right, so, what do we do now?"

"We do what I do best, Sammy. Research."

"Okay." Sam frowns. "Did you just call me Sammy?"

"Did I?"

"Yeah, you totally did," Addison comments.

"Don't," Sam tells him.

Dean shrugs. "Sorry."

* * *

"Jackpot," Dean exclaims. Addison blinks and looks at the time on her laptop. It was nearing midnight. They had spread out in the living room each with their laptops to research. She closes hers and sets it on the coffee table before joining him.

"What," Addison asks, looking his shoulder. She raises an eyebrow at the website on his computer screen.

"I just found the best site ever. Real, actual ghost hunters," Dean explains as Sam joins them. "These guys are genius. Check it out."

He clicks on a link and a list of videos appears. "Instructional videos," Sam states. Dean clicks the first video and they settle in to watch two men named Ed and Harry tell them about ghost hunting. When the first video ends, Sam pulls his laptop over and Addison's gaze widens.

"That's the ghost," Addison says.

"P.T. Sandover. Died 1916. Devoted his life to his work. No wife, no kids. Used to say he was the company. His very blood pumped through the building."

"Wow, okay," Dean replies. "So, slight workaholic. Maybe he's still here, you know, watching over the company, even killing for it."

"Plus, this isn't the first time people started killing themselves in the building. 1929."

"Except a lot guys committed suicide at the beginning of the Great Depression," Addison argues.

"Yeah, but how many companies had seventeen suicides, Addison?"

"Okay, so P.T. Sandover, protector of the company," Dean says. "His ghost wakes up and becomes active during times of grave economic distress."

"Well, the worst time since the Great Depression—"

"Is now. Yeah, now sucks. My portfolio's in the sewer. I don't even wanna talk about it."

"So, Sandover's helping the bottom line—"

"By zapping some model employees."

"Yeah. I mean, Ian and Paul. It was like he turned them into different people."

"Perfect worker bees. So devoted to the company that they would commit suicide if they failed it."

"Which is why I got that e-mail," Addison reasons. "I couldn't land Mr. Pervy Bigshot so Sandover wanted to make me a suicidal worker bee. Lovely."

"One more interesting fact. The building wasn't always that high. Used to be fourteen floors," Sam tells them. "And the room where the ghost attacked, fourteen forty-four? Once upon a time, that was the old man's office."

"Okay. So, now that we know who our ghost is, how do we kill him," Addison asks, looking between the guys.

Dean plays the next video where Ed and Harry tell them about shooting ghosts with rock salt and how iron repeals them. Addison and Sam watch as Dean gathers of couple of fire pokers and a canister of salt. "Where do we even get a gun," he asks.

"Gun store," Sam suggests.

Addison shrugs. "Wal Mart?"

"Isn't there some kind of waiting period," Dean questions.

"I think so," Sam answers.

"How in the hell—"

"I don't know. Seems pretty impossible, honestly."

"So, let's just skip the guns," Addison suggests. Dean shrugs and they turn back to watch the next video. Ed and Harry tells them about digging up the body of the ghost and burning it. "I'm not doing that."

"You afraid to get down and dirty, Ads," Dean amused asks.

"No. I just...you guys can probably dig faster than I can."

"Sandover was cremated," Sam states, looking up from his laptop.

Dean frowns. "What? So, what do we do now?" The three of them look back at the computer and listen to Ed and Harry tell them about finding a piece of genetic material belonging to the ghost.

As they get ready to head back to the office, Dean looks at Addison. She had traded her heels for a pair of black Converses. His gaze roams over her in the curve hugging black bandage dress. "I never realized how short you are," he says.

Addison glances at him as she pulls on her coat. "You just realized that?"

Dean shrugs and walks over to her. "Well, you always wear heels and the times that you weren't...I wasn't paying attention to your height."

She laughs and leans up to kiss him. "After this is over, you're taking me out to dinner."

"I am?"

"Mm hmm."

His hand slips under coat and travels down her back. "Well, I already know what I want for desert.” A throat clears and they jump, remembering that Sam was in the room. They look at him to see him awkwardly standing there. "Right, well...let's just go deal with the ghost."

* * *

"Set your cell phones to walkie-talkie in case we get separated," Dean orders as they step into the elevator.

"My phone doesn't have walkie-talkie," Addison replies, taking out her iPhone. She sees the disbelieving looks on their faces "What? I didn't like the company phone."

Dean sighs. "Then...try to stay close, Ads."

"How the hell are we gonna find some ancient speck of DNA in a skyscraper," Sam asks.

"That creepy storeroom on fourteen was Sandover's office," Addison points out. Dean shrugs and presses the button for the fourteenth floor. They ride in silence and step out on the fourteenth floor. Addison and Dean search the room while Sam rifles through the desk.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Addison quickly ducks seeing a night security guard enter the room. "Nothing. I just—" Sam starts.

The guard grabs Sam's arm. "Come with me."

The guard slams the door shut as he and Sam walk out of the room. Addison jumps when a hand touches her shoulder and she spins around to see Dean. "Don't do that," she hisses. "Find anything?"

Dean holds up a framed picture of Sandover Bridge. "C'mon." She follows out of the room and over to the elevators. He pulls out his phone. "Hey. You okay?"

"Call you back," Sam replies after a moment.

"Up or down," Addison asks, motioning to the elevators.

"Up," Dean tells her.

"Dean, Addison, you there," Sam's voice asks over the speaker.

"Yeah, listen, I think I got it. Meet us on twenty-two."

"Okay, yeah. Just...take the stairs."

The elevator dings and opens to reveal a bloodied interior. "Yeah, no problem."

* * *

Addison looks around the display wall. It detailed the history of the entire company. A large picture of P.T. Sandover was hanging on the wall. Hearing footsteps, her and Dean turn to see Sam enter the room. His yellow tech support shirt was covered in blood. "Whoa. That's a lot of blood," Dean comments.

"Yeah, I know," Sam replies.

Dean motions to a pair of gloves in the display. "Right. So, uh, in there."

"P.T. Sandover's gloves."

"Yeah, how much you wanna bet there's a little smidge of DNA in there? You know, like a fingernail clipping or a hair or two? Something."

Sam nods. "So, you ready?"

Addison rolls her eyes and tosses the salt canister to Dean before pulling out the iron pokers. She hands one to Sam, then turns and smashes the glass display. "Fuck," Dean exclaims. "A little warning?"

"What? You guys looked like you were gonna keep talking," Addison replies. She grabs the gloves and stares at her breath mists. Suddenly, they're thrown against the walls. Addison groans and sits up. Sandover seemed more preoccupied with the guys then her. She spots the gloves and starts crawling towards them.

"Addison!" She looks up and sees the guys swing the iron pokers through Sandover. She quickly snatches up the gloves and stands up. Addison tosses them to Sam and he tosses her the iron poker. Dean flies into the wall and Sandover appears over him. Addison swings iron poker through Sandover. He disappears, then reappears behind her. She takes a step back as Sandover goes up in flames. She drops the iron poker and helps Dean up.

"That was amazing," Sam breathlessly says.

"Right? Right," Dean excitedly asks.

"That was pretty cool," Addison says, smiling at the guys.

After cleaning up their small mess, they make their way down to Dean's office. He sits behind his desk while Sam and Addison sit down in the chairs. "Man, I gotta tell you, I've never had so much fun in my life," Dean says, pulling out a first aid kit.

"Me neither," Sam replies.

"Same here," Addison says.

"Was a hell of a workout too, wasn't it," Dean asks.

"We should keep doing this," Sam blurts out.

"I know."

"I mean it. There gotta be other ghosts out there. We could help a lot of people."

Dean scoffs. "Right, we'd be like the Ghostfacers."

"No, really. I mean, for real."

Dean stares at him. "What? Like, quit our jobs and hit the road?"

"Exactly."

"How would we live?"

"Uh..."

"You gotta be kidding me. How would we get by? With stolen credit cards? Huh? Eating diner food drenched in saturated fats? Sharing a crap motel every night?"

"That's all just details."

"Details are everything. You don't wanna go fighting ghosts without any health insurance."

Sam sighs. "All right. Um. Confession."

"What?"

"Remember those dreams I told you about with the ghosts?"

"Yeah?"

"I was fighting them."

"Okay."

"With both of you. We were these, like, hunters and we were friends. Dude, we more like brothers. I mean, what if that's who we really are? You saw us back there, working together. The ghost was scrambling brains. What if it scrambled ours?"

Dean shakes his head. "That's insane."

"Is it? Think about it just for just one second. What if we think this is our life, but it's not?"

"The ghost is dead and we're still standing. I mean, I'm sorry, but—"

"Look, all I know is this isn't who we're supposed to be."

"No. I'm Dean Smith, okay? Director of Sales and Marketing. I went to Stanford. My father's name is Bob, my mother's name is Ellen, and my sister's name is Jo."

"When was the last time you talked to them? To any of them?"

"Okay, you're upset. You're upset, confused—"

"Yeah, cause I only moved here cause I just broke up with my fiancee Madison. But I called her number and I got a damn animal hospital."

"Okay. What are you saying? Are you trying to say that my family isn't real? Huh? That we've been injected with fake memories? Come on."

"All I know is, I got this feeling in my gut. And I know. I know that deep down, you gotta be feeling it too. We're supposed be something else. You're not just some corporate douchebag. This isn't you. I know you."

Dean scoffs. "Know me? You don't know me, pal. You should go." They silently watch as Sam walks out of the office. "Can you believe that guy."

"What if he's right," Addison softly asks.

"Don't tell me you believe that crap, Addison."

"Those dreams he talked about, I've had them too, Dean. The three of us killing monsters and stuff. I moved here three weeks ago because my divorce got finalized last month. Thing is, I don't have any divorce papers or anything like that. And when I called my lawyer in New York for a copy of the papers, they didn't have any record of me being a client. I know that I'm not supposed to sit in an office or sell crap to a bunch of old perverts. And I may not have known you for long, Dean, but I know you're not supposed to be doing this either."

Dean stares at her for a moment, then sighs. "You should go home and get some rest, Addison." She turns and walks out of the office, knowing that deep down she was right.

* * *

Addison knocks on the office door, then enters. She smiles at Dean. "I didn't realize that today was causal Friday," he greets, taking her jeans, henley, and leather jacket. She hands him a piece of paper. Dean glances at then, up at her. "You're quitting?"

"Effective immediately. I gave Jamie all of my clients," Addison replies.

"So, you're going to hunt ghosts? Are you insane?"

"Dean, I feel...it's like it's in my blood. Like this is what I'm supposed to do. I just...I'd really wish you'd come with me. It'd be more fun.” Addison walks over to him and kisses his cheek. "Call me if you change your mind, Dean." She smiles at him and walks out of the office, passing Mr. Adler on the way out. She makes her way to the customer service department and easily spots Sam. "Hey."

Sam turns and smiles at her. "Hey.

Addison blinks, then looks around the department in confusion. "Sam, where are we?"

"No idea," Sam answers, looking just as confused. "Let's find Dean, then figure out what the hell is going on."

"Yeah," Addison replies. She eyes the destroyed phone and computer sitting on the desk behind Sam. There was a discarded fire poker on the floor. “Remind me to never piss you off."


	17. The Monster At The End of This Book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

The trio enters the comic book store. It was filled wall to wall with racks of comics and a few people sitting around, reading them. They walk over to the young man standing behind a counter. "Uh...can I help you," he asks.

They flash their fake badges. "Sure hope so. Agents DeYoung, Shaw, and Phillips. Just need to ask you a few questions," Dean says.

"Notice anything strange in the building last couple of days," Sam questions, looking around the store.

"Like what," the man responds.

"Some of the other tenants have reported flickering lights," Addison supplies.

"I don't think so. Why?"

"Any kind of noises or skittering in the walls? Like rats?"

"And the FBI is investigating a rodent problem?"

"What about cold spots," Sam asks. "Feel any sudden drops in temperature?"

The man's eyes widen. "I knew it! You guys are LARPing, aren't you?"

Dean exchanges a confused look with Sam and Addison. "Excuse me?"

"You're fans."

"Fans of what," Sam questions.

"What is LARPing," Dean asks.

"Like you don't know," the man replies, looking between the trio. "Live Action Role Play! And pretty hardcore too."

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're asking questions like the building's haunted. Like those guys and that hot chick from the books. What are they called? Uh...Supernatural. They use fake IDs with rock aliases, hunt down ghosts, demons, vampires. What are their names? Uh...Steve, Dirk, and Amy? Uh, Sal, Dane, and Amanda?"

"Sam, Dean, and Addison," Addison disbelievingly asks.

The man snaps his fingers. "That's it!"

"You're saying this is a book," Dean questions him.

"Books. It was a series. Didn't sell a lot of copies though. Kind of had more of an underground cult following," the man explains, leading them over to a bargain bin. He searches through the books and pulls one out before handing it to Dean. "That's the first one, I think."

Addison looks over his shoulder. She raises an eyebrow at the cover, which reminded her more of a romance novel cover. Two men, one shirtless with long hair, stood in front of a car that looked exactly like the Impala. And by the Impala stood a red headed woman with blowing red hair while holding a sawed off shotgun. "Lovely," Addison mutters.

"Supernatural by Carver Edlund," Dean reads, then turn the book over. "Along a lonely California highway, a mysterious woman in white lures men to their deaths."

"Give me that," Sam says, snatching the book of Dean's hands. He looks up at the man. "We're gonna need all the copies of Supernatural you've got."

* * *

"This is fucking insane," Dean comments from where he was laying on his bed, with a book in hand. Sam and Addison were sitting at the table, laptops in front of them. The Supernatural books were scattered around the table. "How's this guy know all this stuff?"

"You got me," Sam replies as Addison shrugs.

"Everything is in here. I mean everything. From the racist truck to — to me having sex. I'm full frontal in here, dude. How come we haven't heard of them before?"

"They're pretty obscure," Sam explains as Dean joins them at the table. "I mean, almost zero circulation. Uh, started in '05. The publisher put out a couple dozen before going bankrupt. And, uh, the last one — No Rest For the Wicked — ends with you and Ads hooking up before you go to Hell."

Dean glances at Addison. "I reiterate. Fucking insane," he says, looking at Sam's computer. "Check it out. There's actually fans. There's not many of them, but still. Did you read this?"

"Yeah."

"Although for fans, they sure do complain a lot. Listen to this — Simpatico says 'the demon story line is trite, cliche'd, and overall craptastic.' Yeah, well, fuck you, Simpatico. We lived it."

"Yeah. Well, keep on reading."

"There are Sam girls, Dean girls, Addison fans, Sam/Addison, Dean/Addison, and — what's a slash fan?"

"As in...Sam slash Dean. Together."

Dean looks up at him, stunned. "Like together together?"

"Yeah."

"They do know we're brothers and that Ads is always there, right?"

Sam shrugs. "Doesn't seem to matter."

"Oh, come on. That - that's just sick," Dean exclaims, slamming the laptop shut. "We got to find this Carver Edlund."

"Ah, that might not be so easy."

"Why not?"

"No tax records, no known address. Looks like Carver Edlund is a pen name."

"Somebody's gotta know who he is."

Sam hands him a piece of paper. "Publisher's name and address."

Dean nods, standing up. He hits Addison's shoulder. "Come on, warcraft freak." He shares a concerned look with Sam when Addison remains silent. He moves behind her and looks at her laptop. He reads a few lines, then his gaze widens. Dean smacks the back of her head.

"Dean," Addison snaps, glaring at him. "What the hell?"

"Really, Addison?"

Addison rolls her eyes and closes her laptop. "What? I was curious, okay."

Realization crosses Sam's face. "Ads, really?"

"Oh, come on, Sam. It's not like you're actually going to throw Dean onto a bed and fuck him into next week...At least not while I'm in the room anyway." She met with two identical unamused looks. Dean glares at her and hits her shoulder. Addison turns and aims a punch at him, but Dean dodges it. Sam just shakes his head and closes his laptop, wondering why he suddenly felt like the oldest person in the room.

* * *

Addison walks into the publisher's office with an amused smile on her face. While there was nothing funny about their situation, she couldn't help but find the humor in it. "So, you published the Supernatural books," Sam asks the woman behind the desk.

The publisher nods, leaning back in her chair. "Yep. Yeah. Gosh. These books...you know, they rarely got the attention they deserved. All anybody wants to read anymore is that romance crap. You know - Dr. Sexy, M.D. Please."

"Right. Well, we're hoping that our article can...shine a light on an under appreciated series."

"Yeah, yeah. Because, you know, if we got a little bit of good press then maybe we could start publishing again."

"Oh, no, no, no. God no," Dean exclaims. The publisher stares at him. "I mean, why — why would you want to do that? You know, it's uh, such a complete series, what with Dean going to Hell and all."

"My god! That was one of my favorite ones, because Dean was so...strong...and sad and brave. And Sam...I mean, the best parts are when they'd cry. You know, like in — in 'Heart' when Sam had to kill Madison, the first woman since Jessica he really loved. And in 'Home' when Dean had to call John and ask him for help. And in 'No Rest for the Wicked' Dean finally tells Addison that he loves her. Gosh...if only real men were so open and in - in touch with their feelings."

"Real men?"

"I mean, no offense. How often do you cry like that, hmm?"

Dean forces a smile. "Well, right now, I'm crying on the inside."

The publisher narrows her gaze. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

"Lady, this whole thing is funny."

"How do I know you three are legit, hmm?"

"Oh, trust me. We, uh, we're legit."

"Well, I don't want any smart ass article making fun of my trio."

"No," Addison says, shaking her head. "We're huge fans of the books. We LARP and everything."

"Hmm. You've read the books."

"Cover to cover," Dean tensely answers.

"What's the year and model of the car?"

"1967 Chevy Impala."

"What's May 2nd?"

"That my - uh...that's Sam's birthday," Sam responds.

"January 24th is Dean's," Dean states.

"Addison's is March 17th," Addison finishes.

"Sam's score on the LSAT," the publisher quizzes.

"One seventy four," Sam replies.

"Dean's favorite song?"

"It's a tie. Between Zep's 'Ramble On' and 'Traveling Riverside Blues.'"

The publisher smirks. "What was the secret club that Addison's ex fiancee was in while at Yale?"

"Skull and Bones," Addison easily answers.

The publisher sighs. "Okay. Okay. What do you want to know?"

"What's Carver Edlund's real name," Sam asks.

"Oh, no. No. I'm sorry, I can't."

"We just want to talk to him. You know, get the Supernatural story in his own words."

"He's very private. It's like Salinger."

"Please. Like I said - we are, um..." Sam trails off as he undoes the top buttons on his shirt. He pulls it to the side to reveal his tattoo. "Big, big fans."

Sam shoots Dean and Addison a look. Dean pulls down the collar of his shirt to reveal his tattoo. The guys stare at her. "Oh, mine's in a...very private place," Addison lies, smirking.

"Awesome. You know," the publisher says, standing up. She pulls up her skirt and shows a tattoo extremely similar to their's on her ass. "I got one too."

"Whoa," Dean comments. "You are a fan."

The publisher drops her skirt and smiles at them. "Okay," she tells them. She writes something down then holds it out to them. "His name's Chuck Shirley. And he's a genius, so don't piss him off."

* * *

Addison climbs out of the Impala and looks up at old two story house. Obviously, whoever lived there didn't care much for the outward appearance of the house. She glances at the guys and together, they walk up to the front door. Dean rings the doorbell and after a moment a man answers. He wore a bathrobe over a t-shirt and boxers. He had messy hair and a full bread. "You Chuck Shirley," Dean asks.

"The Chuck Shirley who wrote the Supernatural books," Sam continues.

"Maybe. Why," Chuck replies.

"Well...I'm Addison, this is Dean and Sam. We're the people that you've been writing about," Addison explains.

"Look, uh, I appreciate your enthusiasm. Really, I do. It's, uh, it's always nice to hear from the fans. But, uh, for your own good, I strongly suggest you get a life."

Chuck starts to close the door, but Dean stops him. "See, here's the thing. We have a life. You've been using it to write your books," Dean counters, shoving the door open.

"Now, wait a minute. Now, this isn't funny."

"Damn straight, it's not funny."

"Look," Sam says, stepping forward. "We just want to know how you're doing it."

"I'm not doing anything."

"Are you a hunter," Dean asks.

"What? No. I'm a writer."

"Then how the hell do you know so much about demons and werewolves and shit," Addison questions.

Chuck nervously looks between the three of them. "Is this some kind of  _Misery_ thing? Ah, it is, isn't? It's a  _Misery_  thing!"

"No, it's not a  _Misery_  thing," Dean snaps. "Believe me, we are not fans!"

"Well, then, what do you want?"

"I'm Sam. And that's Dean and Addison," Sam calmly says.

"Sam, Dean, and Addison are fictional characters. I made them up! They're not real!" Dean glares. He grabs Chuck's bathrobe and forces him out of the house. Dean opens the trunk and Chuck's gaze widens. "Are those real guns?"

"Yup," Dean answers. He holds up a rock salt bullet. "This is real rock salt, these are real fake ids."

"Well, I got to hand it to you guys. You guys really are my number one fans," Chuck replies, backing up from them. "That's - that's awesome. So, I - I think I've got some posters in the house."

"Chuck, wait," Addison calls as he starts back to the house.

"Please don't hurt me."

"How much do you know," Sam asks. "Do you know about the angels? Or Lilith breaking the seals?"

Chuck frowns. "Wait a minute. How do you know about that?"

"How do you know," Addison argues.

"Because I wrote it?"

"You kept writing," Sam asks.

"Yeah, even after the publisher went bankrupt, but those books never came out." Chuck looks between them. "Okay, wait a minute. This is some kind of joke, right? Did that - did Phil put you up to this?"

Dean scoffs. "Well, nice to meet you. I'm Dean Winchester and this is my brother, Sam. And that's our friend, Addison Sloan."

"The last names were never in the books. I never told anyone about that. I never even wrote that down," Chuck mutters. He quickly retreats into his house. The trio follow him and find Chuck drinking from a bottle of whiskey. "Oh! Oh, you're still there."

"Yeah," Addison says.

"You're not a hallucination."

"No."

"Well, there's only one explanation. Obviously, I'm a god."

Addison snorts. "Yeah. No. You're not a god."

"How else do you explain it? I write things and then they come to life. Yeah, no, I'm definitely a god. A cruel, cruel, capricious god. The things I put you through - the physical beatings alone."

"Yeah, we're still in one piece," Dean replies.

"I killed both of your fathers. I burned your mother alive. And then you had to go through the whole horrific deal again with Jessica."

Sam sighs. “Chuck—"

"All for what? All for the sake of literary symmetry. I toyed with your lives, your emotions for...entertainment."

"You didn't toy with us, Chuck, okay," Dean tells him. "You didn't create us."

"Did you really have to live through the bugs?"

"Yeah."

"What about the ghost ship?"

"Yes, that too."

"I am so sorry. I mean, horror is one thing, but to be forced to live bad writing...if I would have known it was real, I would have done another pass."

"Chuck, you're not a god," Dean snaps.

"We think you're probably just psychic," Sam says.

"No. If I were psychic, you think I'd be writing? Writing is hard."

"Look, it just seems that you're focused on us and our lives," Addison says.

"Yeah, like laser focused," Dean mutters. "Are you working on anything right now?"

"Holy shit," Chuck exclaims.

"What," Sam asks.

Chuck grabs a small stack of papers off his messy desk. "The, uh, latest book? It's, uh, it's kind of weird."

"Weird how?"

"It was very Vonnegut."

" _Slaughterhouse Five_  Vonnegut or  _Cat's Cradle_  Vonnegut," Dean asks.

"What," Sam and Addison ask him, stunned.

"What?"

"It's, uh, Kilgore Trout Vonnegut," Chuck answers. "I wrote myself into it. I wrote myself, at my house...confronted by my characters."

* * *

"I'm sitting in a laundromat, reading about myself sitting in a laundromat reading about myself," Dean reads as Sam and Addison do laundry. Addison shakes her head and drops her freshly dried clothes on the table. "My head hurts."

"There's got to be something this guy's not telling us," Sam comments, tossing his dark clothing into the washing machine.

"'Sam tossed his gigantic darks into the machine. He was starting to have doubts about Chuck, about whether he was telling the whole truth.'"

"Stop it."

"'Stop it,' Sam said.' Guess what you do next." Addison watches as Sam turns his back to Dean. "'Sam turned his back on Dean, his face brooding and pensive.' I mean, I don't know how he's doing it, but this guy is doing it. I can't see your face, but those are definitely your brooding and pensive shoulders." Sam lets out a frustrated sigh and Dean looks down at the manuscript. "You just thought I was dick."

"The guy's good," Sam says, turning around.

"It's still creepy through," Addison says. She frowns. "I'm not the only one who feels violated, right? I mean, somehow Chuck knows, in extremely great detail, about some of the more...intimate times."

* * *

Addison watches as Chuck paces around his living room. A desk was in the corner with a computer and covered in papers. Empty beer bottles were scattered around the room and posters of the book covers were on the walls. "So, you wrote another chapter," Sam questions.

"This was so much easier before you were real," Chuck replies.

"We can take it," Dean tells him. "Just spit it out."

Chuck glances at him. "You especially are not gonna like this."

"I didn't like Hell."

"It's Lilith. She's coming for Sam."

Addison frowns. "To kill him?"

"When," Sam asks.

"Tonight," Chuck answers.

"She's just gonna show up? Here," Dean asks.

"Uh...let's see, uh..." Chuck flips through a few pages after putting a pair of reading classes. "'Lilith patted the bed seductively. Unable to deny his desire, Sam succumbed, and they sank into the throes of fiery demonic passion.'"

Sam laughs. "You're kidding me, right?"

"You think this is funny," Dean snaps.

"You don't? I mean, come on. 'Fiery demonic passion?'"

"It's just a first draft," Chuck weakly defends.

"I thought Lilith was a little girl," Addison says.

"No, uh, this time she's a - 'Comely dental hygienist from Bloomington, Indiana.'"

"Okay. Well...what happens after the sinking into the throes of demonic passion?"

"I don't know. It hasn't come to me yet," Chuck replies.

"Look, guys, there's nothing to worry about," Sam says. "Lilith and me? In bed?"

Dean glares at Sam, then turns to Chuck. "How does this whole psychic thing of yours work?"

"You mean my process," Chuck questions.

"Yes, your 'process.'"

"Well, it usually starts with a headache. A really bad headache. Aspirin is useless, so, I drink. Until I fall asleep. The first time it happened, I thought it was just a crazy dream."

"The first time you dreamt about us," Addison questions.

"It flowed. It just...it kept flowing. Still does. I - I can't stop it, really."

Sam scoffs. "You can't seriously believe—"

"Humor me," Dean tells him. Chuck holds up the papers in his hand and Dean takes them. "Look, why don't we just take a look at these and see what's what." Dean frowns. “You—"

"Knew you were gonna ask for that," Chuck interrupts. "Yeah."

* * *

"Dean, come on," Sam scoffs, flipping through the rough draft of the latest chapter Chuck had written. Addison looks over his shoulder. "'The minivan accident wasn't that bad, but Dean was still seeing stars. He scratched absently at the pink flower band aids on his face.'"

"So," Dean counters.

"So, I've seen you gushing blood. You'd use duct tape and bar rags before you'd put on pink flower band aids."

"What's your point?"

"My point is this - all of this - is - is totally implausible, it's nuts."

"Except that Chuck's been right about everything else before," Addison states.

"'Dean slid behind the wheel of his beloved Impala and drove off, the plastic tarp on the rear window flapping like the wings of a crow,'" Sam reads.

"A tarp," Dean questions.

"Yeah. On the rear window. And you drive it like that."

"Look, those are just details," Addison argues. "We have to look at the big picture and frankly, I don't like it."

"So, we're just gonna run?"

"Dude, we are a long way from ready for a face to face death match with Lilith," Dean counters, stopping the Impala when they reach a roadblock. He rolls down the window as a police officer walks over. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Bridge is out a head," the officer replies.

"We're just trying to get out of town."

"Yeah, afraid not."

"Is there a detour?"

"Nope."

"There's not a side road that takes us to the highway?"

"To get to the highway, you have to cross that river. To cross that river, you have to take that bridge."

"How deep's the river?"

"Sorry. Afraid you folks are gonna have to spend the night in town," the officer informs them before walking away. Dean slams a hand against the steering wheel, then turns the Impala around.

* * *

Addison wrinkles her nose as she reads through the pages. They had found a local diner and made their way inside. "Hey, this could be a good thing," Dean states. "I mean, if this is what puts on the path to Lilith, then all we got to do is get off the path."

"How do you mean," Sam asks.

"It's a blueprint of what not to do. I mean, if the pages say we got left—"

"Then we go right."

"Exactly. We get off book. We never make it to the end. It's opposite day."

"Well, this says that you guys get into a fight," Addison says.

"So, no fighting," Dean replies. "No researching for either of you."

Sam smirks at his older brother. "No bacon cheeseburgers for you."

Dean inwardly groans. "Yeah, no problem. I'll just order something else." A waitress walks over and he grins at her. "Hi, uh, what's good?"

"Well, if you like burgers, Oprah's girlfriend said we have the best bacon cheeseburgers in the country?"

"Really?"

"I'll just have the cobb salad, please," Sam orders.

"Uh, I'll have the grilled chicken sandwich," Addison says.

"And I'll have the...veggie tofu burger," Dean says, forcing a smile. "Thanks."

The waitress nods and takes their menus. "This whole thing's ridiculous," Sam states.

"Lilith is ridiculous?"

"The idea of me hooking up with her is."

Dean scoffs. "Right. Cause something like that can never happen."

Sam takes a deep breath, trying not to get angry. "Dean, for the first time, we have warning that Lilith is close."

"So?"

"So, we've got the jump on her. If we know when she's coming, we know where's she's - this is an opportunity."

"Are you—"

"Dean," Addison warns, giving him a pointed look.

"It frustrates me when you say such reckless things," Dean forces out.

"Well, it frustrates me when you'd rather hide than fight," Sam argues.

The waitress walks over and sets down their food. "Thank you," Dean says. He picks up his burger "It's not hiding. It's being smart. It's picking your battles. And this is a battle that we are not ready to fight." He takes a bite of his burger and moans in delight. "Oh my God. This is delicious. Tofu is amazing!"

"I am so sorry," the waitress exclaims, running back over to the table. "I gave you the bacon cheeseburger by mistake." Addison watches as the waitress takes the burger and plate from Dean. She glances at Sam to see a scowl on his face. She looks at Dean to see him just as unhappy. Addison sighs and shakes her head.

* * *

"Dean, this place charges by the hour," Addison says, stepping into their latest motel room. She places her bags on the nearest bed.

"Yeah, well, the book says Lilith finds Sam at the Red Motel," Dean counters, dropping the weapons bag on the bed. "Hence, the, uh, hooker inn. It's opposite day, remember?" Addison shoots Sam a frustrated look as Dean pulls out a couple of small items.

"What are you doing," Sam asks.

"Couple of hex bags ought to Lilith proof the room."

"So what? I'm supposed to just hole up here all night?"

"That's exactly what you're gonna do, okay? And no research. I don't care what you do - use the magic fingers or watch Casa Erotica on Pay Per View."

"Oh, dude, come on," Sam exclaims as Dean grabs his laptop.

Addison frowns as Dean moves over to her bag. "What are you doing," she demands as Dean pulls out her laptop.

"Just call it a little insurance," Dean tells him.

"What are you gonna do," Sam questions.

"Well, the pages say that me and Ads spend all day riding around in the Impala. So, I'm gonna go park her while Ads stays here with you. Behave yourselves, would you? No homework. Watch some porn."

Addison lets out a annoyed breath as Dean walks out of the motel room. She glances at Sam and sees an equally annoyed look on his face. She grabs the remote off the TV and flops down on a bed. "I'm not watching porn." A silence settles over the room. Addison groans and stands up. "Alright. I'm gonna get something to eat."

* * *

Addison shoves her hands in the pockets of her hoodie as walks down the street. Truthfully, she hadn't been hungry. She just didn't feel like sitting around in a motel room alone with Sam. She had no problems with being alone with Sam, but she wanted some alone time. And that was virtually impossible at times.

A loud crash causes her to turn and she turns to see a couple of teenagers breaking into the Impala. "Hey," Dean angrily shouts, starting across street. He doesn't see the minivan heading in his direction.

"Dean," Addison screams. The minivan slams on it's breaks, but still manages to hit Dean. She runs over and kneels down next to him. There was no blood or anything. Just a few scrapes and bruises on his face.

"Oh my God," a woman exclaims. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see him. Is he okay?"

Addison nods. "Yeah, I think so. He's been hit by much harder."

A hand tugs at Addison's jacket sleeve. She turns to see a little girl. "I can help him," the girl says.

Addison smiles and nods, standing up. A light smirk appears on her face as the little girl starts putting pink flower band aids on Dean's face. "I'm so sorry," the woman apologizes.

"It's fine. Like I said. He's been hit by much harder. Retired football player. Anyway, we just have to wait for him to wake up." Dean groans and the little girl quickly moves over to her mother. Addison kneels back down. "Dean, take it easy." He mutters something and she frowns. "Dean, you okay?"

Dean slowly stands up. He wobbles a bit and Addison wraps an arm around his waist. His gaze lands on the Impala. "No." Anger fills him and runs across the street.

Addison smiles at the woman and goes after him. Dean glares at her, motioning the pink flower band aids on his face. "What? I'm not gonna tell a little girl she can't help you."

* * *

Addison looks around the dark living room of Chuck's house. She could feel Dean fuming on the couch. After placing a tarp over the broken back window, they had taken off right to Chuck's house. "Why weren't you at the motel," Dean questions.

She shrugs. "I was hungry."

The front door opens and they turn to see Chuck enter with a large brown bag in his hands. "Dean and Addison," he greets.

"I take it you knew we'd be here," Dean replies, standing up.

"You look terrible."

Dean glares. "That's cause I just got hit by a minivan, Chuck."

"Oh."

"That's it? Every fucking thing you write about us comes true? That's all you have to say to me is 'oh?'"

Chuck backs up. "Please don't yell at me."

"Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling us?"

"What wouldn't I be telling you?"

"How you know what you know, for starters!

"I don't know how I know," Chuck yells. "I just do!"

"That's not good enough," Dean snaps, slamming Chuck against the wall.

Addison runs over to them. "Dean, stop!"

"How the fuck are you doing this," Dean demands, ignoring Addison.

"Dean, let him go!" Dean releases Chuck and they turn to see Castiel standing there. "This is man is to be protected," Castiel tells them.

"Why?"

"He's a Prophet of the Lord," Castiel answers. Addison stares at him in disbelief.

"You...you're Castiel," Chuck nervously asks. "Aren't you?"

"It's an honor to meet you, Chuck. I admire your work," Castiel replies, picking up one of the supernatural books on Chuck's desk.

"Whoa, whoa, what," Dean asks, looking between Chuck and Castiel. "This guy, a prophet? Come on, he - he's...he's practically a penthouse forum writer." He turns to Chuck. "Did you know about this?"

"I, uh, I might have dreamt about it," Chuck answers, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

"Why didn't you tell us," Addison asks.

"It was too preposterous. Not to mention arrogant. I mean, writing yourself into the story is one thing, but as a prophet? That's like M. Night level douchiness," Chuck says, then sits down in an armchair and rapidly drinks his whiskey.

Dean stares, then turns to Castiel. "This is the guy who decides our fate," he quietly asks.

"He isn't deciding anything. He's a mouthpiece - a conduit for the inspired word," Castiel explains.

Addison frowns. "By word you mean the word of God? Like a new testament?"

"One day these books - they'll be known as the Winchester gospel."

"You got to be shitting me," Dean, Addison and Chuck say at once.

Castiel stares at them. "I am not...shitting you."

Chuck stands up. "If you'd please excuse me one minute," he says, grabbing the whiskey bottle before going upstairs.

"Him? Really," Dean disbelievingly asks.

"You should've seen Luke," Castiel replies.

"So, why is Chuck a prophet," Addison questions.

"I don't know how prophets are chosen. The order comes from high up on the celestial chain of command."

"How high?"

"Very."

"Well, whatever," Dean says. "How do we get around this?"

"Around what?"

"The Sam-Lilith love connection. How do we stop it from happening?"

"What the prophet has written can't be unwritten. As he has seen it, so it shall come to pass."

* * *

When they arrive at the motel, Dean notices that numerous letters on the neon sign had went out. Instead of "Toreador" it read "Red". With Addison behind him, Dean enters the room. "Come on," he announces. "We're getting out of here."

"What," Sam asks. "Where?"

"Anywhere, okay. Out of this motel, out of this town. I don't care if we got to swim, we are getting out."

"Sam, where are the hex bags," Addison asks, frowning. When she had left, they were still in place around the room. Dean rounds on Sam, waiting.

"I burned them," Sam answers.

"You what," Dean snaps.

"Look, if Lilith is coming, which is a big ‘if’—"

"No, no, no. It's more than an 'if.' Chuck is not a psychic. He's a prophet."

Sam looks between them, confused. "What?"

"Cas showed up and apparently, Chuck is writing the gospel of us."

"Okay."

"Okay. Let's get the hell out of here," Dean says, going to gather their belongings.

"No."

"Sam, Lilith is gonna kill you," Addison argues. "We need to leave."

"Maybe she will, maybe she won't."

"So, what," Dean asks, turning to his younger brother. "You think you can take her?"

"Only one way to find out, Dean, and I say bring her on."

Dean shakes his head. "Sam..."

"You think I'll do it, don't you? You both think I'll go dark side."

Addison looks at the ground. "Yes! Okay," Dean tells him. "Yes. The way you've been acting lately? The things you've been doing? Oh, I know. How you ripped Alastair apart like it was nothing, like you were swatting a fly." Sam looks to Addison, a look of disbelief on his face. "Cas told me, okay?"

Sam nervously swallows. "What else did he tell you?"

"Nothing I don't already know. That you've been using your psychic shit and you've been getting stronger. We just don't know why and we don't know how."

"It's not what you think."

"Then what is it, Sam? Cause I'm at a total loss," Dean says, moving towards the door. "Are you coming or not?"

"No," Sam replies. Dean stares at him for a moment, then walks out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Addison sighs and looks up at Sam. "I wish you'd reconsider, Sam," she softly says before walking out of the room. She looks around, but doesn't spot Dean anywhere. Addison shakes her head and climbs into the front seat of the Impala. She turns when the driver's side door opens and Dean climbs in. He starts the Impala and speeds out of the motel parking lot. She frowns when they stop in front of Chuck's house. "Dean, what's going on?"

Dean doesn't respond as he storms in the writer's house. Chuck shoots up from his couch when they enter the living room. "What are you guys doing here," he questions. "I didn't write this."

Dean grabs him by the scuff of his jacket and yanks Chuck up. "Come on. I need you to come with us."

"What? Where?"

"To the motel where Sam is."

Chuck grows pale. Addison stares at Dean, stunned. "Dean, that's where Lilith is gonna show," she says.

"Yeah, exactly," Dean tells her, turning to Chuck. "I need you to stop her."

"Are you insane," Chuck snaps. "Lilith? I know what she's capable of, Dean - I wrote her."

"All right, listen to me. You have an archangel tethered to you, okay? All you got to do is show up and boom! Lilith gets smoked."

"But I - I haven't seen that yet. The story—"

"Chuck, you're the only shot that I've got left."

"But...I'm just a writer."

"This isn't a story anymore, man. This is real! And you're in it! Now, I need you to get off your ass and fight. Come on, Chuck."

"No fucking way."

"Okay, well, then how this - I've got a gun in my pocket and if you don't come with us, I'll blow your brains out."

"I thought you said I was protected by an archangel."

"Well, interesting exercise. Let's see who the quicker draw is."

Chuck glance at Addison; a mixture of disbelief and terror on his face. "Oh, he'll totally do it," Addison says. Chuck reluctantly nods and Dean drags him out of the house.

The ride back to the motel is tense. Dean was on edge. And Addison wanted to do something to comfort him, but she knew there was nothing she could say or do to make things better. The Impala abruptly stops in front of the motel room and they quickly climb out. Dean kicks open the door and pushes Chuck forward. "I am the prophet Chuck," he announces as Dean and Addison enter behind them.

A blonde woman stood next to Sam. "You've got to be joking," Lilith says, moving towards Chuck.

"This is no joke," Dean coldly says. A bright light suddenly appears in outside the room. The windows shake. "See, Chuck here's got an archangel on his shoulder. You've got about ten seconds before this room is full of wrath and you're a piece of charcoal. You sure you want to tangle with that?"

Lilith glances at Sam, then a cloud of black smoke flies out of the woman's body. The room stops shaking and the light disappears, leaving the three hunters and writer standing in the room.

* * *

Addison pulls her peacoat close as she walks out of the church. A few days had passed since they hastily left the small town that Chuck lived in. The knowledge that Lilith had wanted to make a deal with Sam and that Sam was even more determined to kill the demon hadn't sat well with Addison. Her gut kept telling her that they were all missing a few pieces of the puzzle. Addison smiles as she spots the Impala in the parking lot with Dean leaning against the door. "Why'd you have to go to extra early morning service," he greets as she nears him.

"It's only 9:30," Addison amusedly counters. There was so much she wanted to tell him. Especially after listening to the priest talk about honesty. But she doesn't. Instead, she smiles and pokes him in the chest. "And since you're here, you get to buy me breakfast." Dean nods and watches as she walks around to the passenger side. He knew that she was hiding something, just like Sam was hiding something from him.


	18. Jump The Shark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Sam watches as Addison stretches. His gaze travels over her body and he quickly looks away before she notices. He was wondering how much she had told Dean about when he had killed Alastair. Instead, he focuses on brushing his teeth. Addison pulls her coat closer as she climbs onto the hood of the Impala. "It's cold," she mutters.

The Impala door opens and they turn to see Dean nearly fall out. "Hey," Sam greets, spitting out the toothpaste. "How'd you sleep?"

"How do you think," Dean tiredly retorts, sitting down in the passenger seat. He rubs his face. Then he notices Addison sitting on the hood and shoots her an annoyed look. "I'm starving. Let's get breakfast."

"Where," Sam asks. "We're like two hours from anything."

"But I'm hungry now."

"There's probably still a sandwich in the backseat."

Addison shakes her head. "It was starting to smell, so I threw it out. I think it might've been tuna or something."

A phone starts ringing. Dean glances at Addison and she shakes her head. He feels his pockets, but discovers that it isn't his phone. He rummages through the glove compartment and pulls out the phone. Sam glances at him. "Isn't that Dad's phone," he asks.

Dean flips the phone open and answers. “Hello?" 

"Uh, is this John," an unsure male voice asks.

"He can't come to the phone. Can I help you?"

"No, no, no - I really - I need to talk to John. This is Adam Milligan. He knows me."

"Well, sorry to be the one to break this to you, pal, but John died more than two years ago. Who is this?"

"I'm his son."

* * *

Addison climbs out the Impala along with Dean and Sam. She glances at the sign hanging outside the diner and raises an eyebrow. The sign read 'Cousin Oliver's Diner.' "Dean, look, best I can tell, Adam Milligan is real," Sam says, causing Addison to turn. Dean was busy getting weapons out of the trunk. While she didn't say it, Addison was just as skeptical as Dean was. "Um, born September twenty-ninth, 1990 to Kate Milligan. No father listed on the birth certificate. He's an Eagle Scout. Graduated from high school with honors and currently goes to the University of Wisconsin - biology major, pre med. Dean? You listening?"

"This is a trap," Dean coldly replies, slamming the trunk close. They walk into the diner. Only a few people were there. Dean sees a table in the back and walks over to it. Addison starts to sit down across from them, but Dean pulls the chair next to him. They stare at each other until she reluctantly sits down in the middle chair.

Sam shakes his head. "Dean, I'm telling you, the kid checks out."

"Great, so he's an actual person on the planet Earth. Sucks he's got a demon in him."

A waitress with a name tag with Denise printed on it, walks over to them with menus and glasses of water. Denise stares at the seating arrangement, but puts the menus and glasses down. "Hi. Welcome to Cousin Oliver's."

"Thank you," Addison tells her.

"Can I—"

"We're actually waiting on somebody," Dean tells her. Denise glares at him and walks away.

"Dean," Addison snaps. "You don't have to be such a dick."

Dean ignores her and pours out a glass of water into the plant behind him. Sam frowns. "What are you—"

Addison watches as Dean puts the glass between his legs and unscrews a flask. "Holy water," she asks.

"Yup," Dean replies. "One sip of Jesus juice, this evil bitch is gonna be in a world of hurt." He waits until Denise passes them and puts the glass of holy water on the table. He takes out a wrapped up package and opens it to reveal silverware.

"And what if he's not possessed?"

"Then he is a shapeshifter." Dean grabs the silverware on the table and drops it behind them.

Sam shakes his head, putting John's journal on the table. "Hence the silver."

"Look, either way, this thing is gonna bleed. I mean, using Dad as bait? That's the last mistake of its short, pitiful life." Sam frowns. Dean notices. "What?" Sam looks out the window. Addison sighs. "What?"

"Dean, listen. There's an entry in Dad's journal." Sam opens the journal and flips to the entry. "From January of 1990, saying he's headed to Minnesota to check out a case. That's, roughly, oh, about nine months before the kid was born."

Dean shrugs. "Coincidence."

"Coincidence. Next two pages of the journal - torn out." He turns the page and shows it to them.

"You're not actually buying this, are you?"

"Look, man, I don't want to believe it either, I'm just saying it's possible. I mean, Dad would be gone for weeks at a time and he wasn't exactly a monk. I mean, a hunter rolls into town, kills a monster, saves the girl...sometimes the girl's grateful."

"Well, now I'm thinking about Dad sex. Stop talking."

"Maybe he slipped one past the goalie."

"Sam, shut up," Addison snaps. Sam starts to say something, but she glares at him. "Don't even think about mentioning my dad."

The diner door opens and a young man enters. He was tall like Dean and had dirty blond hair. Sam watches as he looks around the diner. "Adam?"

The young man walks over to them. "You Sam," he asks.

"Yeah. Uh, this is Dean and Addison."

"Hey," Adam greets, sitting down. He sets his backpack on the ground. "So, um, how did you know my dad?"

"Uh, we worked together."

Adam frowns in confusion. "How did he die?"

"On the job."

"He was a mechanic, right?"

"A car fell on him," Dean stiffly answers.

Denise walks over to them with a menu and a glass of water. "Hey, Adam," she happily greets. "How you doing?"

Dean grabs the glass of water. "Oh, I'll take that. I am very thirsty."

Denise shoots him an unhappy look before turning to Adam. "The usual, Adam?"

"Uh, yeah," Adam answers. "Thanks, Denise."

They watch as Adam picks up the glass of holy water and drinks. Nothing happens and he sets the glass down. "So, uh, when's the last time you saw John," Sam asks.

"I don't even know. It's been a couple of years."

Addison feels Dean tense beside her. "What made you decide to call John," she asks.

"I didn't know who else to call. He's the only family I got." They stare at him. "My mom's missing."

"I'm sorry," Addison softly says. "How long has she been missing?"

"It's tragic, really," Dean says. "But if you're John's kid, how come we've never heard of you?"

"Cause John and me didn't really know each other," Adam explains. "Not until a few years ago, anyway."

"What do you mean," Sam asks.

"My mom never talked about him. I knew some stuff."

"Stuff," Addison asks.

"My mom's a nurse and Dad came into the ER, pretty torn up. Hunting accident or something. And I knew his name. John Winchester. That's about it. We're not exactly a nuclear family."

"Yeah, well, who is these days," Sam comments.

"So, when did you, uh, when did you finally meet him," Dean asks.

"When I was twelve. My mom had one of his old numbers and - and after I begged her - twenty-four-seven - she finally called him. God, when John heard he had a son, he raced to town. I mean, he dropped everything. He drove all night." Denise walks over and puts a slice of apple pie in front of Adam. "Thanks."

Dean waits until Denise is gone. "Well, that's heartwarming."

Adam motions to his pie. "You mind?"

"Please, dig in."

They watch as he pulls the napkin from under the silverware. Addison places her hand on Dean's arm, warning him to wait before doing anything. "He would swing by once a year or so," Adam tells them, picking up the silver fork and knife. Addison removes her hand as Dean releases a bit of tension. "You know, he called when he could. But still..." Adam takes a bite of his pie. "He taught me poker and pool and even brought me my first beer when I was fifteen. And, uh, he showed me how to drive. Dad, he had this beautiful sixty-seven Impala—"

"Oh, this is crap," Dean angrily interrupts. "You know what, you're lying."

"No, I'm not."

"Uh, yeah, you are."

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you to call me a liar?"

"We're John Winchester's sons, that's who." Dean motions to himself and Sam. "We are his sons."

Adam looks between them. "I've got brothers and a sis-"

"I'm not related to you," Addison quickly says. "I'm just a friend."

"No, you don't have brothers," Dean continues. "Look, man, I don't know if you're hunter or what kind of game you're playing here."

"I have never been hunting in my life."

"Whatever. I'm out of here. Come on, Ads, Sam."

Dean stands up and Addison follows suit. Sam reluctantly stands up. They start to leave the diner. "I can prove it," Adam says, causing them to turn look at him.

* * *

The Milligan house was simple two story house in the small town of Windom, Minnesota. It blended in with many of the other houses on the street. Inside, was just as simple. But there were plenty of pictures around the living room. Dean picks up a picture of John and Adam. "He took you to a baseball game," Dean asks.

"Yeah, when I turned fourteen," Adam explains. "Dad was around for a few of my birthdays."

Sam flips through John's journal. "September 29, 2004," he begins. "One word. 'Minnesota.'"

"He took you to a fucking baseball game," Dean asks.

"Yeah. Why," Adam replies, confused. He takes the picture from Dean. "What'd Dad do with you on your birthday?"

"So, Adam," Addison says. "You said that you called John cause your mom was missing."

"Yeah."

"How long?"

"Three days."

"And the last person to see her was..."

"Mr. Abbinanti, our neighbor. He saw her come home Tuesday night, but she never showed up to work on Wednesday."

Addison watches as Dean picks up another picture. "Did you call the police?"

"Mom's supervisor at the hospital did. And then I drove down here as fast as I could." Adam pauses. "I should have been here."

"What'd the, uh, what'd the cops say," Dean asks, sitting the picture down.

"That they, uh, they searched the house. They didn't find anything. She wouldn't leave without telling anybody. It's like she just dropped off the face of the earth, you know?"

* * *

Addison leans against the door frame of Kate's room. She had elected to stay behind with Dean and search the house while Sam went to talk to the local police. She had seen a picture of Kate Milligan and there was no mistaking the similarities between Kate Milligan and Mary Winchester. "Don't," Dean says, from where he was looking around the window.

"I wasn't gonna say anything," Addison replies, entering the room.

Dean scoffs. "Yeah, right." She shrugs and looks around the room. Pictures of Kate, Adam, and John were on the dresser. Addison looks behind the dresser. Adam enters the room and Addison smiles at him. "The, uh, nightstand was knocked over. Was there anything else?"

"Oh, not really," Adam says. "The sheriff said there's no sign of a break in." Dean continues looking around the room. "What? You think the cops missed something?"

"Maybe. Yeah. They don't have my eyes."

"You're a mechanic."

"Yeah. That's right."

"Dean, what else can you tell me about Dad?"

"You knew him."

"Not as well as you."

"Trust me, kid, you don't want to know."

Adam turns to Addison. Sam appears in the doorway. "Sam," Addison says, walking out of the room. She waits until Dean joins them in the hallway. "What the cops say?"

"Like Adam said, no leads on his mom," Sam replies.

"Big surprise there."

"But I found this." Sam shows them a collection of newspaper articles. "Um, here. In 1990, there were seventeen grave robberies in Windom."

"You think that's why Dad came through here," Dean asks.

"I'd say so. Check it out." He points to one of the pictures with an article. There in the background, was John.

"Alright, so he was hunting something. What?"

"No idea. Those were the pages he threw out of the journal. But last month, the corpse snatching started up again. Three bodies from the local cemetery."

"Then John must've not killed it," Addison comments. "And now it's back. Lovely."

"And, what it's stepped up its game to fresh meat? I mean, Kate's missing, and, uh..." Sam shows them another picture of a bald man with thick rimmed glass. "So is a local bartender - a guy named Joe Barton."

Dean takes the photo and walks back into the bedroom. He shows Adam, who was sitting on the bed, the photo. "Hey, does your mom know Joe Barton?"

"Uh, I don't think so. Why," Adam asks, looking between the three of them. Dean glances at Addison and Sam. Then he notices some scratches on the floor by Adam's feet. He walks over and kneels down. "What is it?"

"Watch out." Adam climbs off the bed. Dean lifts the sheets out of the way and looks under the bed before standing up. "Give me a hand with the mattress." Dean and Adam move the mattress off the bed frame to reveal a vent big enough for someone. Dean smirks and looks at Addison. "Alright, Ads—"

"Are you out of your damn mind," Addison snaps.

"You're the smallest person here, Addison," Sam points out, causing her to glare at him. She storms out of the room.

Dean smirks at Sam. "Don't make Yogi mad." Sam just shoots him an unamused look.

* * *

Addison was pissed. She hated crawling through the vents. They were always small and cramped. But she hated it even more when there was blood smeared along the side of the vent. She kept herself to one side of the vent. Addison comes to the end of the vent. She shines the flashlight to one side of the vent. That side of the vent was clean and empty.

She shines the light to the other side and discovers it covered in blood. Pieces of flesh were stuck to the walls. The smell was nauseating. And it takes every once of strength Addison had not to puke right there. As quickly as she can, she makes her way out of the vent. She darts past the guys and into the nearest bathroom she can find.

* * *

Addison was lying on her and Dean's bed in the motel room. Her face was buried in one of the pillows. Dean was sitting next to her, cleaning guns while Sam was doing research. She looks up after there's a knock at the door. Sam opens the door and Adam walks in. "Who the hell are you," Adam demands.

"Adam, hey," Sam replies, closing the door. Dean covers up the guns. "Take it easy."

"No, don't tell me to take it easy, okay? My house is a crime scene, my mom's probably dead, and you three - well, you tell me to call the cops, but you gotta bail before they show? So, who are you really?" No one says anything. "Cops didn't know where to look for my mom, Dean, but you did. And I heard you talking earlier - something about grave robberies." He notices one of the shot guns next to Dean. "You're not mechanics. I just want to know what's going on. Please."

"We're hunters," Sam confesses.

"Sammy," Dean warns.

"He deserves to know, Dean."

"What do you mean 'hunter,'" Adam asks. Addison sighs and shakes her head. She didn't agree with Adam knowing the truth, but didn't say anything as Sam explained the truth. Adam intently listened. "Okay, so...basically, you're saying that every movie monster, every nightmare that I've ever had, that's all real?"

"Except Godzilla," Addison comments.

"We hunt them," Sam tells him. "So did Dad."

Adam nods. "Okay."

"'Okay,'" Dean repeats. "That's it?"

"What am I supposed to say?"

"That we're liars, that we're crazy. Nobody just says 'okay.'"

"You're my brothers. You're telling me the truth, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then I believe you. Now, what took my mom?"

"We're not sure," Sam replies. "Something's in town stealing bodies, living and dead, but we don't know what."

"And there's a long list of nasty that does that," Addison says.

"You think maybe she might still be alive," Adam asks. The three of them avoid looking at Adam. He looks down. "Oh. How can I help?"

"You can't," Dean says.

"This thing killed my mom. If you're hunting it, I want in."

"No."

"Dean, look, maybe—" Sam begins.

"Maybe what?"

"He lost his mother. Maybe we can understand what that feels like."

"Why do you think Dad never told us about this kid, Sam," Dean counters. "Huh? Why do you think he ripped out the pages?"

“Because--"

"Because he was protecting him!"

"Dad's dead, Dean."

"That doesn't matter! He didn't want Adam to have our lives, okay? And we are gonna respect his wishes."

"Do I get a say in this," Adam asks.

"No," Sam and Dean say at the same time.

Dean grabs his jacket and walks towards the door. "Babysit the kid."

"Where are you going," Sam asks.

"I'm going out!" Dean walks out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Addison grabs her coat and quickly follows Dean out. "Dean, wait up."

“Ads—"

"I'm with you on this one," Addison tells him. "And I'm coming with you, no matter what you say."

Dean stares at her a moment, then climbs into the Impala. Addison smiles and climbs into the passenger seat. "You're a pain in my ass, Addison."

"Same goes for you, Dean."

* * *

After stopping at a local gas station to fill up and change their clothes, they make their way to the cemetery where the bodies had gone missing from. The cemetery director led them to the mausoleum that the bodies had been in. "This tomb was built in 1926," the director explains. "Four generations of the Millsap family were interred here."

"They don't build 'em like this anymore," Dean comments.

"Tell me, Agents, have you thought about where you might like to spend eternity?"

"All the damn time."

Addison glances at Dean before turning to the Director, pointedly ignoring the question. "Any idea who might have taken the bodies," she asks.

"Hooligans," the Director replies. "Sick, deranged hooligans."

Dean spots something on the side of one of the cement caskets. He kneels down and touches it. He smells it and recoils. "This isn't blood. What is this?"

"It's embalming fluid. Whoever committed this crime didn't just take the corpses. They opened them up."

* * *

Addison slides onto the empty stool next to Dean. Her phone buzzes and she pulls it out to find Sam's name on the screen. She hits 'ignore' and shoves it back into her pocket. "Oh God," Dean mutters. "Don't tell me I've got to deal with you and Sam fighting."

She rolls her eyes. "We're not fighting," Addison replies. "We're having a mild disagreement."

The bartender walks over and places two beers in front of them. "First beer's on the house for cops," she says. "Feds too."

Addison lightly smiles. "We that obvious?"

"I know all the local badges. And you guys got that... _Law & Order_ vibe." The bartender grabs a towel and dries a glass. "So, what's the FBI doing in Windom?"

"Looking into the disappearance of Joe Barton," Dean answers, pulling a fold piece of paper out of his jacket. He unfolds it and slides it to the bartender. She stares at it, a heartbroken look on her face. "I assume you knew him?"

"A little. I'm his wife. Lisa."

"What can you tell us about his disappearance, Lisa," Addison softly asks.

"Same thing I told the sheriff. He stayed late Friday before last to do inventory. Never came home."

"And the police," Dean asks, picking up his beer.

"Nothing. Truth is, I was scared they stopped looking. But now you're here."

Dean notices a photo of Joe behind the bar. In the picture, Joe was wearing a uniform. "Joe was a cop?"

"Deputy. For a little while. That was a long time ago."

Addison and Dean exchange a look. "Um, Joe didn't happen to work the grave robbery case back in '90, did he," Addison asks.

"He did. Yeah. Joe was the one who found those bodies. He got an award for that."

"That was an interesting case," Dean comments, looking at the article next to the picture. "He ever tell you how he did it?"

"Most of the time, he said good solid police work. But after a few beers, he'd admit that he had a little help."

"From who?"

"A 'specialist.' That's all he'd say."

"Did the police ever find the person that took the bodies," Addison asks.

"No. But when I asked Joe about it, he'd say not to worry - that 'we took care of what done it.'"

A couple of people walk in and Lisa walks over to them. "At least we know the pattern now." Addison sighs and takes a sip of beer. "This whole thing is messed up," she softly says. "And now I keep wondering what if my dad had another family somewhere."

"I doubt Patrick had another family somewhere, Ads," Dean replies. She looks at him. "Did Patrick ever miss any of your birthdays?"

"No," Addison softly admits. She looks away, with tears in her eyes. In that moment, she wanted to tell him everything that Sam had been doing. But she didn't. Instead, Addison puts a comforting hand on Dean's arm.

* * *

Addison leans against the Impala as Dean backs up Adam's truck. They had arrived at the motel to find Adam trying to stop Sam from being pulled under his truck. Addison looks up at him. "Are you okay," she asks.

Sam nods. "I'm fine," he answers. "You didn't pick up when I called."

"I was interviewing someone."

Dean parks the truck and climbs out. He looks at the sewer grate and finds blood on the edge. "I winged it," he says, walking over to the Impala's trunk. "Did you see anything?"

"I didn't get a good look," Sam replies.

"What the hell is this thing?"

"Why - who - should we go after it," Adam asks.

Addison shakes her head. "It's probably long gone by now."

"Alright," Sam beings. "So, we don't know what it is, but we do know who it's going after. Joe Barton, Adam's mom—"

"And Adam. It was waiting for him under his truck."

"It set a trap and I walked right into it," Adam says.

"Doesn't matter. You're right, Ads. There's a pattern," Dean says. "Joe Barton was a cop. I'm pretty sure he helped out Dad. So, we've got him, Dad's girl, and his son."

Sam sighs. "All the people Dad knew in town."

"At least we know why it's back."

"It wants revenge," Adam says. The three of them stare at him. Addison sighs and walks up to their room.

* * *

"Grab your stuff," Dean orders as they enter Adam's house. Adam turns on the light. Addison places her bag on the kitchen table and sits down. She searches through her bag and pulls out an ace bandage. "We'll hit the road when you're done."

"We shouldn't leave," Sam sits, sitting down next to Addison. She motions for him to put his injured ankle in her lap.

"Yeah, let's stay here, where the kid's mom got ganked. Good one."

"I'm serious."

"No, Sam, we're gonna take the kid, we're gonna drop him off at Bobby's and then you, me, and Ads are gonna come back here and finish what Dad started."

"How? We got no leads, no witnesses. We do have what this thing wants."

Addison pauses in pulling off his shoe and stares at Sam in disbelief. "You want to use Adam as bait. That's why you want to stay, isn't it?"

"Maybe this thing will come back. We could train Adam - get him ready."

"He could die, Sam," Dean counters.

"We could all die, Dean. Even if we do kill this thing, there are tons of other freaks that want revenge on Dad, on us. What if they find the kid instead and he's not ready?" Addison shakes her head and tosses the bandages at Sam before standing up. “Ads--" She ignores him and walks out of the house.

* * *

Addison barely talks to Sam the rest of that night and while he teaches Adam how to shoot the next day. She chose to sit in the living room and watch some random procedural cop show on TV rather than continuing watching Sam teach Adam about hunting. Dean had chosen to stay with Sam and Adam. "Ads." She looks up to see Dean standing by the front door. He walks out of the house.

She stands up and follows him out of the house. They climb into the Impala and drive off. She had heard his argument with Sam. "Right before my dad died," Addison quietly begins. "He apologized for not giving me a normal life. He said that he was selfish and should've given me a normal life instead of trying to make himself feel better since he couldn't save my mom."

Dean glances at her. "Why do you turn everything into a chick flick moment?"

Addison smacks his arm, but smiles anyway. By the time they get to the cemetery, it's completely dark. Dean grabs a couple of flashlights from the trunk and they walk into the mausoleum. He notices a large stone towards the back and walks over to it. "Go get me a crowbar," Dean tells her. She stares at him for a moment, then shakes her head and walks out of the mausoleum. A couple of minutes later, she returns with a crowbar. She stands back and watches as he wedges a lose stone out to reveal a tunnel. He looks up at Addison. "Ladies first."

"Just waiting for you," Addison replies, smirking.

"You're hilarious."

"I know I am."

Dean crawls through the tunnel, then Addison. He helps her down. The room was another mausoleum, through this one was much older and seemed to be closed off. "Home sweet home."

Her foot touches something squishy and Addison shines her flashlight to see a puddle of blood. Body parts were in the puddle, along with a pair of glasses. She picks them up to see that they look exactly like the ones Joe Barton was wearing in his picture. "Looks like we found Joe...well, most of Joe." Noise comes from the other end of the tunnel and Dean shoots into the tunnel, which causes it to collapse. "Way to go, Dean."

"Shut up." He pulls out his phone only to see that he doesn't have a signal. "Son of a bitch."

Addison shakes her head and looks around the tomb. Dean kicks at the mausoleum door. Spotting fresh blood on one of the caskets, Addison pushes the lid to the side. "Dean!" He walks over to her. Most of Kate Milligan's body was lying inside. Dean looks around the mausoleum and spots more blood near another casket. He walks over to it and pushes it open. She walks over and sees Adam's body. Then it clicks in her mind. "Ghouls."

Dean stares at her second. "Fuck."

"Sam's with Adam," Addison states, worry creeping into her voice.

Dean looks around the mausoleum, searching for a way out. He notices a stained glass window above him. He pulls the metal pole off one of the coffins and walks over to the door. Addison joins him and they trying prying the door open. "Holy shit."

He puts down the pole and grabs one end of one of the coffins. "What are you doing?"

"Just come help me." Addison grabs the other end and they stack it on top of the other coffin. Dean climbs on top. "Hand me the..." He doesn't have to finish before the pole is in his hand. She covers her head as glass and leaves rain down. He puts the pole across the newly created hole. "Come on." Addison climbs up. He helps her up. "Damn, you weigh a lot."

"Bite me." She grabs the pole and is able to swing a foot up onto the ledge. Careful of the broken glass, Addison pulls herself up. She takes a couple of steps back and is joined by Dean a couple of minutes later.

The drive back to the Milligan house was a fast and silent one. Addison was hoping that Sam had realized what 'Adam' was. She wanted him to be okay. They arrive at the house. Dean hands Addison a shotgun and they enter the house. "Hey!" 'Adam' turns and Dean shoots him in the chest.

"They're ghouls," Sam shouts.

Addison aims the shotgun in her hands at the female ghoul and fires. Blood hits the wall and a headless corpses falls to the ground. She runs over to where Sam was. He was tied to the kitchen table. There were long cuts on his arms, blood steadily coming out. Addison grabs a knife from a drawer and some towels. She sets to work on freeing Sam as Dean deals with the other ghoul.

After cutting away the last rope, she helps him sit up. She wraps the towels around his arms. "Ads."

Addison looks up. She places a comforting hand on his cheek. "I'm here, Sam. You're gonna be okay."

"I need it." 

She stares at him, then looks away. Hurt was what she was feeling. Addison squeezes down on Sam's arm. Tears were blurring her vision.

* * *

She lets out a deep breath and it mists in front of her. Addison was standing between Sam and Dean. She and Dean had retrieved Adam's body from the mausoleum. It was currently wrapped up and sitting on top of a stack of wood. "You sure we should do this," Sam asks.

"Ghouls didn't fake those pictures," Dean replies, pouring lighter fluid on Adam's body. "They didn't fake Dad's journal. Adam was our brother. He died like a hunter. He deserves to go out like one."

"Maybe we can bring him back. Get a hold of Cas, call in a favor."

"No, Adam's in a better place." Dean lights a match book and throws it on top of Adam's body. They watch as the flames erupt. "You know, I finally get why you and Dad butted heads so much. You two were practically the same person. I mean, I worshipped the guy, you know? I dressed like him, I acted like him, I listened to the same music. But you were more like him than I will ever be. And I see that now."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You take it any way you want."

Addison looks down at the ground. "I'm gonna go wait by the car," she softly says. John and Sam were much more alike than either could imagine. They'd both become so focused on something that they did whatever was possible to accomplish what they were after.


	19. The Rapture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Peace. It was all he felt. The soft rippling from the water was the only noise. Footsteps sound behind him. He didn't need to look to see who it was. She had been a regular in his dreams. She drapes her arms around him and softly kisses his cheek. Apples invade his senses. She always smelt like apples. She lightly caresses his chest, then pulls back and walks away. There were no monsters, no demons, no angels. Just him sitting at the end of a pier, with nothing but a fishing pole and a cooler of his favorite beer. She would always walk down the pier and just spend a few minutes with him before retreating into the house behind them.

Dean reels in the line and sets down the pole. He knew that she was in the house, pulling out a freshly baked apple pie. He turns and freezes seeing Castiel standing there. "We need to talk," the angel says.

"I'm dreaming, aren't I," Dean asks.

"It's not safe here. Someplace more private."

Dean scoffs. "More private? We're inside my head."

"Exactly. Someone could be listening."

Dean frowns. "Cas, what's wrong?"

"Meet me here," Castiel says, handing him a piece of paper. "Go now." Dean reads the address written down. He looks up only to find the angel gone.

Dean's eyes snap open. He looks around the dark motel room. The unmoving form of his younger brother was in the bed across from him. A soft snoring causes him to turn and see Addison laying next to him. Dean rubs his face and throws back the covers.

* * *

The place they were supposed to be meeting Castiel turned out be an abandoned warehouse. Dean, Sam, and Addison shine flashlights around the building. "Well, what did he say, Dean," Sam questions. "What was so important?"

"If I knew, would I be here," Dean counters as they walk up a set of stairs. Sparks were coming from ripped wires. Tables and chairs were smashed. "What the hell?"

"It looks like a bomb went off."

"Or an angel on angel fight," Addison says, shining a flashlight on a symbol painted on the wall. "That look familiar?"

"Yeah, it does."

"Anna used something like that to wish the angels back to the cornfield," Dean states.

"So, what? Cas was fighting angels?"

"I don't know." Dean spots something in the rubble and walks over. "Cas? Cas. Hey, Cas?"

Castiel groans and slowly wakes. "What's...what's...what's going on?"

Dean kneels down and helps him sit up. "Just take it easy. Take it easy."

"Oh. No."

"Cas, you okay," Sam asks.

Castiel rubs his face. "Ugh, Castiel. I'm not Castiel. It's me."

"Who," Addison asks. She glances at Sam and Dean and sees them equally confused.

"Jimmy. My name's Jimmy."

"Where the hell is Castiel," Dean asks.

"He's gone."

* * *

Addison watches with disgust as Jimmy devours the burger. It was weird seeing him eat something since Castiel never did. Jimmy moans in delight and takes another bite of the burger. She glances at Sam to find him watching with the same disgust. "You mind slowing down," Dean asks. "You're gonna give me angina."

"I'm hungry," Jimmy answers, with a mouthful of burger.

"Jimmy, when exactly was the last time you ate," Addison asks.

"I don't know. Months."

"What the hell happened back there," Sam questions. "It looked like an angel battle royale."

"All I remember is a flash of light and I, uh...I woke up and I was just, you know, like, me again."

"So, what? Cas just ditched out of your meat suit," Dean asks.

"I really don't know."

"Do you remember anything about being...possessed," Addison softly asks.

"Yeah, bits and pieces. I mean, angel inside of you, it's kinda like being chained to a comet."

"Ah, that doesn't sound like much fun," Dean comments.

"Understatement."

"Cas said he wanted to tell us something. Please tell me you remember that," Sam says.

Jimmy shrugs. "Sorry."

"Come on, what do you know," Dean begs.

"My name is Jimmy Novak. I'm from Pontiac, Illinois," Jimmy frustratedly tells them. "I have a family."

"Give us a minute," Dean tells Jimmy, then walks out of the room with Sam and Addison following him.

"So, what do we do," Sam questions after the door is closed.

"What do you mean? The guy's got a family. We buy him a bus ticket, send him home."

Sam glances at Addison, then turns back to his brother. "I don't know about that. Dean, he's the only lead we got."

"He doesn't know anything."

"Are you a hundred percent about that?"

"You think he's lying? What, you wanna go Guantanamo on the guy?"

"Dean," Addison states. "Maybe he doesn't know what he knows."

"Huh?"

"We should take him back to Bobby's. And try hypnosis or a psychic. Or maybe Cas will just show back up in him."

"I don't know, Ads."

"Dean, that was angel on angel violence. I don't know what's going, but whatever it is, it's big. And we can't let the only lead we have go." Dean shakes his head. “Dean—"

"You remember when our job was helping people, Addison? Like, getting them back to their families?"

"I want to help him, Dean. But if we want to question him, then you know the demons want to too. And they won't be as nice about as we are," Addison argues. Dean sighs, knowing that she had a point. He walks back into the motel room. Sam smiles at her and they reenter the room. Addison sadly smiles at Jimmy.

"You can't go home," Dean tells him.

"The hell are you talking about," Jimmy exclaims. "I can't go home?"

"There's a good chance you have a bull's eye on your back."

"What? From who?"

"Demons," Addison answers.

"Come on, that's crazy. What do they want with me?"

"Information probably."

"I don't know anything."

"I know, but—"

"Look, I'm done, okay? With demons, angels, all of it. I just want to go home."

"I understand, Jimmy, but—"

"I don't think that you do understand. I've been shot and stabbed and healed and my body has been dragged all over the Earth. By some miracle, I'm out and I am done. I've given enough, okay?"

"Look, all we're saying is that until we figure this out, the safest place is with us," Sam tells him.

"How long?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Jimmy shakes his head and tries to leave, but Sam blocks the door. "Where are you going," Dean asks.

"To see my wife and daughter, okay," Jimmy replies.

"No, you're not," Sam counters. "You're just going to put those people in danger."

"So, what, now I'm a prisoner?"

Sam stares at him. "Harsh way to put it."

* * *

Addison yawns as leans against the cool window of the Impala. She was still annoyed at Sam waking her and Dean up after discovering Jimmy missing. And she didn't for a second buy his excuse that he was out getting a soda. He may have been out, but not for a soda. Her theory had gain evidence when Sam was anxious to go find Jimmy and Addison could only assume that it was a mixture of guilt and worry.

"Hey, guys."

Addison jumps as Impala swerves. Anna was sitting next to her in the backseat. "What the fuck is wrong with you," Addison snaps. Anna stares at her, stunned. Even Sam was surprised at her outburst. "You don't just magically appear in someone's car without a warning! Did you forget how to use a goddamn phone when you got your angel mojo back?"

A silence settles over the Impala. Addison stares at the angel, waiting. "You let Jimmy get away," Anna says.

Dean scoffs. "Talk to ginormo here."

Anna turns to the younger Winchester. "Sam. You seem different."

Sam shifts in his seat. "Me? I don't know. A haircut?"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Anna replies with a pointed look before turning back to Dean. "So, what'd Jimmy tell you? He remember anything?"

"Why," Dean asks. "What's going on?"

"It's Cas. He got sent back home. Well, more like dragged back."

"To Heaven? That's not a good thing."

"No. That's a very bad thing. Painfully, awfully bad. He must have seriously pissed someone off."

"Cas said he had something to tell me. Something important."

"What?"

Dean shrugs. "I don't know."

"Does Jimmy know?"

"I don't think so."

"You don't think so? Whatever it is, it's huge. You gotta find out for sure."

"That's why we're going after Jimmy," Sam argues.

"That's why you shouldn't have let him go in the first place. He's probably dead already."

"Thanks for that," Addison murmurs as Anna disappears. She lets out a huff and flops down on the leather seat.

They stop for gas a few hours later. Sam takes off for the bathroom as Dean starts filling the tank. Addison lays there for a moment, then climbs out of the Impala. "I'm gonna get some coffee, want any," she asks him.

Dean pulls out his wallet and hands it to her. He runs a hand over his face and turns his attention back to the gas pump. "Where's Ads," Sam asks, hoping that he brother didn't notice anything off about him.

"Coffee," Dean replies, shutting off the pump.

"All right," Addison says, walking up behind them with a plastic bag and a styrofoam up. "Coffee for Dean. Frappuccino and pop tarts for me. And Sam gets a gatorade and a banana, cause you look shit."

"I'm fine," Sam replies but Addison sends him a disbelieving look before climbing into the Impala. Dean stares at him for a moment, then shrugs and gets into the driver's seat. Sam runs a frustrated hand through his hair and walks around to the passenger side. He needed Ruby to show up, now.

* * *

They arrive at Jimmy's house late in the evening. Dean parks across the street and they climb out of the Impala. The last thing any of them wanted to do was to keep Jimmy away from his family, but they at least had to check on him. As they near the house, they hear sounds of a struggle. Dean quietly opens the door, pulling out Ruby's knife in the process. He and Sam rush forward to see demons attacking a blonde woman. Dean stabs a demon in the neck as Sam holds out his hand. "Go," Sam shouts. "Get them out of here."

Addison grabs Jimmy's arm and drags him out the house with a blonde girl following them. "You guys okay," she asks, looking between them.

Jimmy looks at the girl and Addison can only assume that she's his daughter. "We're good," he answers.

Addison frowns. "Where's your wife?"

"Right here."

They turn to see the blonde woman standing behind them. "Hey," Dean says, running over to them with Sam. "Let's go." With that, they pile into the Impala and take off down the highway.

* * *

"You were right," Jimmy quietly says as they stand at the back of a slightly empty parking lot. Amelia and Claire were asleep in the backseat of the Impala while they were talking.

"I'm sorry we were," Dean replies.

Jimmy sighs. "I'm telling you, I don't know anything."

"Jimmy, we believe you," Addison softly says. "Demons, on the other hand, don't."

"And even if they did, you're a vessel," Sam continues. "They're still gonna wanna know what makes you tick."

"Which means vivisection, if they're feeling generous," Dean comments.

"I'm gonna tell you once again, you're putting your family in danger. You have to come with us."

"How long," Jimmy questions. "And don't give me that 'cross that bridge when we get to it' crap."

"Don't you get it," Sam snaps. "Forever. The demons will never stop. You can never be with your family. So, you either get as far away as possible or you put a bullet in your head. And that's how you keep your family safe. But there's no getting out and there's no going home."

"Well, don't sugarcoat it, Sam," Dean mutters while Addison just stares at him.

"I'm just telling him the truth, Dean. Someone has to."

"Um, okay," Addison awkwardly says. "We're going to get a car for Amelia and Claire while you explain what's going on to them, okay? Okay. Let's go." She grabs the guys sleeves and drags them away from the Impala, giving the family some privacy.

* * *

Dean glances in the rearview mirror to find Addison and Jimmy asleep. Then he glances over at Sam. His mind kept replaying over what happened in Jimmy's house with the demons, about how Sam couldn't use his mojo to kill a demon. And looking at his brother, Dean could see that he was slightly pale. "What the hell happened back there," he asks, breaking the silence that had settled in the Impala.

Sam shifts. "What?"

"You practically fainted trying to gank a demon."

"Okay, I didn't faint. I got a little dizzy."

"Well, you can call it whatever you want. Point is, you used to be strong enough to kill Alastair. Now you can't even kill a stunt demon number three?"

"What do you want me to say about it, Dean?"

"Well for starters, what's going on with your mojo? I mean, it's yo-yoing all over the place. I'm not trying to pick a fight here, okay? I just...you're scaring me, man."

"I'm scaring myself," Sam quietly admits. His phone suddenly rings and he pulls it out. "Hello? Who is this?" Sam turns around in his seat and reaches over to shake Jimmy's shoulder. "Hey. It's your wife."

Jimmy sits up and takes the phone. "Amelia? Oh my God."

* * *

The four of them climb out of the Impala and look at the large warehouse in front of them. "All right, they're expecting you to come alone," Dean tells Jimmy. "That's exactly what you're gonna do."

"We'll work our way through the catwalks. We'll be right behind you," Sam continues.

"Just stay calm, stall, and we'll take care of the rest," Addison finishes.

"You want me to stay calm," Jimmy snaps. "This my family we're talking about."

Dean steps forward. "Listen to me, this will work. You understand? Nobody's gonna get hurt."

"Yeah, whatever. Give me a minute, okay?"

They remain silent watching as Jimmy walks away. "There's no way they're expecting him to come alone, Dean. You know this is probably a trap," Sam points out.

Dean sighs. "Yeah, I know." He smirks. "That's why I have a plan."

"I hate when you say that," Addison mutters, causing Dean to glare at her. Jimmy rejoins them and Dean motions for him to enter the warehouse. After he's gone, Dean explains his plan. Taking different entrances, they all enter the warehouse and are easily captured by demons. Addison shoots Dean a glare. "Great plan, Dean."

"Yeah, well, nobody bats a thousand, Ads," Dean retorts.

"Got the knife," Amelia asks, walking up to them. Her eyes flash back. Jimmy was standing a few feet away from where Claire was unconscious and tied to a chair. The demon holding Sam hands over Ruby's knife. "You know what's funny?"

"You wearing a soccer mom?"

"I was actually bummed to get this detail, picking up an empty vessel. Sort of like a milk run. Now, look who landed in my lap," Amelia says, moving over to Sam.

"Yeah, well, you got us, okay," Sam replies. "Let these people go."

"Oh, Sam. It's easy to act chivalrous when your wonder girl powers aren't working, huh? Now for the punch line. Everybody dies." Amelia shoots Jimmy in the stomach, then turns to another demon. "Waste little orphan Annie."

The demon grabs a pipe off the ground and goes to swing at Claire only for her to grab it with one hand and to place a hand on the demon's head. A bright light emits from the demon, then the body falls to the ground. Addison spins around and punches the demon holding her. The demon quickly retaliates, slamming a fist into her face. She stumbles back as the demon continues it's assault on her. Addison manages to land a couple of hits. Castiel walks over and places a hand on the back of the demon's head, killing it.

Addison groans at the weight of the body on her and shoves it off before standing up. She glances at Dean, but finds him staring at someone. She turns and sees Sam on top of a demon, eagerly gulping down blood from it's neck. Sam looks up at them, blood covering the lower half of his face. He turns back and stabs the demons in the heart. He stands up and looks at them, holding out his hand. The group turns to see Amelia behind them, coughing up black smoke. Dean catches Amelia before she can fall down.

Addison doesn't say anything watching as Castiel, still in Claire, walks over to where Jimmy is lying on the ground. She doesn't pay attention to what the angel and his vessel say. A bright light emits between Castiel and Jimmy, then Addison watches as Amelia runs over to Claire and tightly embraces her. "Cas, hold up," Dean says as the angel, now back in Jimmy, starts out of the warehouse. "What were you gonna tell me?"

"I learned my lesson while I was away, Dean," Castiel replies. "I serve Heaven. I don't serve man. And I certainly don't serve you." Castiel walks out of the warehouse, leaving the hunters alone with Amelia and Claire.

* * *

Sam shifts in the uncomfortable chair in the mostly empty emergency room waiting area. Dean hadn't said a word since he discovered Sam's demon blood habit and it was making Sam nervous. "All right, let's hear it," he quietly says to his older brother.

"What," Dean replies, not looking at him.

"Drop the bomb, man. You saw what I did. Come on, let's go outside, and you take a swing."

"I'm not gonna take a swing."

"Then scream, chew me out."

"I'm not mad, Sam."

"Come on. You're not mad?"

"Nope."

Sam scoffs. "Right." He sighs. "Look, at least let me explain myself."

"Don't. I don't care."

"You don't care."

"What do you want me to say, that I'm disappointed? Yeah, I am. But mostly, I'm just tired man. I'm done. I am just done."

Sam's phone rings and he pulls it out to see Bobby's name on the screen. "Hey, Bobby."

"Hey, you three better shag ass to my place ASAP," Bobby replies.

"Whats going on?"

"The apocalypse, genius. Now get your asses over here."

Sam hangs up his phone and shoves into his jacket pocket. "What'd he say," Dean questions.

"That he needs us to come over," Sam answers. He stands up when Addison walks through the double doors leading to the ER. She walks right past them and out the sliding doors. "I'll wait with her while you get the car?"

"Yeah, sure," Dean mutters.

As Dean walks across the parking lot to fetch the Impala, Sam stands next to her outside the ER. "What'd the doctors say about your nose, Ads?"

Addison looks up at him and Sam sees the bruising starting to form on her face. "Pain meds, ice, and no more bar fights and I'll be okay in a few weeks," she quietly says. He's taken back when she suddenly hugs him, laying her cheek on his chest. Addison closes her eyes, knowing that in a few hours, Sam will be locked up in the panic room and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.


	20. Running Up That Hill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Supernatural, even through I wish I did. I, however, own the original characters.

Addison splashes water on her face. She grabs the threadbare towel and dries off her face, being mindful of her nose. She didn't want to leave the bathroom. There she didn't have to hear Sam's screams. She didn't have to face Dean or Bobby. But she couldn't stay in the bathroom. She couldn't hide with everything going on. "How long is this gonna go on," Dean asks as she enters the living room. He was pacing around.

"Here, let me look it up in my demon detox manual. Oh, wait. No one ever wrote one," Bobby snaps. He takes a deep breath. "No telling how long it'll take. Hell or if Sam will even live through it." The phone rings and he picks it up. "Hello? Suck dirt and die, Rufus. You call me again, I'll kill you."

Dean frowns. "What's up with Rufus?"

"He knows," Bobby answers as the phone rings a second time. "I'm busy, you son of a bitch. This better be important."

"Maybe someone should go check on Sam," Addison suggests.

Dean glances at her. Then he remembers. Addison hadn't seemed surprised to see Sam drinking a demon in that warehouse. No, she seemed more disappointed in his younger brother. She had avoided his gaze, after leaving the hospital. "You knew," he states.

Addison frowns. "What?"

She takes a step back seeing the anger in his eyes. "You fucking knew," Dean says. Addison looks away, a tear slipping out. "You fucking knew! Why didn't you stop him, Addison!"

"I tried," Addison softly says. "I tried. I told him not to do it. I told him to stop. I told him not to trust Ruby. I tried. But he wouldn't listen."

"Then you should've tried harder!"

"He wouldn't listen to me, Dean! Hell, the only reason he didn't just leave and take off with Ruby is because he promised you that he'd take care of me! I fucked up. Big time. And I'm sorry, Dean. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

Dean stands there for a moment, then turns and walks out of the room. Addison lets out a strangled sob and runs out of the house. Bobby runs a hand over his face and sets down at his desk. He grabs the whiskey bottle out of the bottom drawer and pours a glass.

Dean eventually reenters the living room, a half empty beer bottle in his hand. "What's the news," he asks, ignoring the fact that Addison was no where in sight.

Bobby scoffs, tossing a piece of paper to Dean. "The news? The news ain't good."

Dean frowns. "This is what Rufus called about? 'Key West sees ten species go extinct.'"

"Yep. Plus in Alaska, fifteen man fishing crew all stricken blind, cause unknown. New York, teacher goes postal, locks the door, kills exactly sixty-six kids. All this in a single day. I looked them up. There's no doubt about it. They're all seals. Breaking. Fast."

"How many are left?"

"Who knows? Can't be many. Where the hell are your angel pals?"

Dean scoffs. "You tell me."

"I'm just wondering."

"What?"

"The apocalypse being nigh and all...is now really the best time to be having this little domestic drama of ours?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't like this any more than you do, but Sam can kill demons. He's got a shot at stopping armageddon."

"So, what? Sacrifice Sam's life, his soul, for the greater good? Is that what you're saying? Times are bad, so let's use Sam as a nuclear warhead?"

"Look, I know you hate me for suggesting it. I hate me for suggesting it. I love that boy like a son. All I'm saying is maybe he's here right now instead of on the battlefield because we love him too much."

* * *

Addison stares at the starry sky, listening to Dean yelling for Castiel. It had been that way for the past hour and she wanted to go talk to him. To try and make him understand why she hadn't done more to stop Sam from drinking demon blood. But she knew it wouldn't work. Addison quietly closes the passenger door for the cherry red Mustang and makes her way back to Bobby's house. The older hunter looks up at her. "I want to talk to Sam," Addison quietly says.

Bobby sighs. "You think that's a good idea?"

"I need to talk to him, Bobby. I need to make sure that he's okay. This - this whole mess is my fault. Dean's right. I should've done more to stop Sam. I should've made him listen to me instead of Ruby."

"Ain't nothing either one of us could've done to change Sam's mind. They're both as stubborn as a mule."

"Yeah," Addison softly agrees. She takes a deep breath, wiping away the tears. "I need to check on Sam, through. Cause...he's going through detox cold turkey and I just have to make sure he's okay." An apologetic look appears on Bobby's face and she sighs. "I'll just...I'll sit by the door and talk to him that way."

Bobby doesn't say anything as she makes her way down into the basement. Addison stares at the heavy steel door and takes the few remaining steps towards it. “When I was a kid, I had the biggest crush on you,” Sam's voice drifts through the small window. 

She stands there for a moment, then walks over to the door. “Sam,” Addison softly says, leaning against the door.

“And I never understood why you were into him as a teenager." Addison closes her eyes and sits down by the door. “But I get it now.” 

Addison doesn't move. She listens as Sam talks to the hallucination of her in the panic room. She listens as he talks to other hallucinations. She doesn't move when he starts screaming for them. But the moment Sam grows quiet, Addison stands up. She stares at the door, trying to gauge whether he was just doing to get one of them to come down. Addison opens the small window and glances into the panic room. Sam was lying on the floor and in the middle of a seizure.

"Bobby," Addison shouts. She turns hearing footsteps and sees Dean right behind the older hunter. "Sam's having a seizure. We need to get in there and help him."

Dean pushes her away from the door and looks in. "What if he's faking?"

"Why would Sam fake this?"

Dean glares at her. "I think he'd do anything."

A loud bang causes the three of them to look through the window. "That ain't faking," Bobby argues, quickly opening the door. They run into the room and pull Sam down from the wall. They place him on the cot as he continues thrashing. "We're gonna have to tie him down for his own safety. Dean?" Addison looks to see Dean staring at Sam. "You with us? Dean! Before he has another fit."

"Yeah, yeah," Dean replies. "Let's just get it over with."

"Addison, there's padded cuffs on the work bench," Bobby tells her and Addison runs out of the room. She returns with the cuffs and stands back watching as they tie down a still shaking Sam. It takes a few minutes, but eventually Sam lies still on the cot. Dean starts out of the room with Bobby when he notices that Addison is still standing next to the cot.

Dean grasps her wrist and pulls Addison out of the room. Addison glances at Sam one last time with concern on her face before the heavy iron door closes. None of them say anything as they make their way upstairs. Bobby runs a hand over his face. "I'm gonna ask one more time. Are we absolutely sure we're doing the right thing," Bobby asks, looking at Dean.

"Bobby, you saw what was happening to him down there. The demon blood is killing him," Dean reminds.

"No, we are," Addison says.

"What?"

Addison sighs. "Look, Dean, this cold turkey thing isn't working. It's killing him. And if Sam doesn't get any demon blood within the next few hours, he'll probably die."

"No. I'm not giving him demon blood, Addison. I won't do it."

"And if he dies?"

"Then at least he dies human," Dean snaps. "I would die for him in a second, but I won't let him do this to himself. I can't." He shakes his head. "I can't. I guess I found my line. I won't let my brother turn into a monster."

Addison stares at him. "So, we - we just sit here and let Sam die?" Dean remains silent. Addison glances at Bobby, who had no idea what to do. Addison sighs and sits down on the couch. She didn't agree with what they were doing, but she was done fighting with Dean about it.

* * *

Addison groans as she opens the bottle of pain pills. Sleeping face down on Bobby's couch hadn't been the best thing for her nose. The doctor had told her she was lucky that it hadn't been broken further or she would've needed surgery. A hand roughly grabs her shoulder and spins her around, causing the pills to spill out. She stares at Dean, who was glaring at her. "Where the fuck is he," he demands.

"What," Addison replies, confused.

"Sam. Where is he?"

"The panic room," Addison answers. Bobby walks in behind him and she shoots him a confused look before looking back at Dean. "What's going on?" Dean stares at her for second then makes his way down stairs. Bobby follows him down the stairs and Addison quickly goes after them.

"How the hell did he get out," Dean asks, pulling open the panic room door.

"Maybe he had help. Room full of busted devil's traps," Bobby replies. Addison squeezes between them and sees that the devil's traps engraved into the iron were in fact broken. The cot in the center of the room was empty.

"Demons?" Dean frowns. "Ruby."

"That'd be my guess."

"How did she even touch the door?"

"You think she's got the mojo?"

They turn to Addison and she shrugs. "I - I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, if she does, I've never seen her use it," she answers. "Does it really matter? Shouldn't we be focusing on where's he gone to instead of how Sam got out."

Dean shakes his head. "Yeah, well, I'll tell you both one thing. At this point I hope he's with Ruby."

"Why?"

"Cause killing her's the next item on my to do list."

"I thought you were on call for angel duty," Bobby reminds.

"I am on call. In my car, on my way to murder the bitch."

"One thing," Bobby calls as Dean starts back up stairs.

"What?"

"Sam don't wanna be found, which means he's gonna be damn near impossible to find."

"Yeah, we'll see," Dean replies, then walks up the steps. Addison lets out a frustrated sigh and walks upstairs with Bobby.

* * *

"Police found my car," Bobby announces, walking outside to where Dean was working on the Impala. "Abandoned in an alley in Jamestown, North Dakota."

"He's switching up," Dean replies, slamming the hood down. He grabs a rag and wipes the grease off his hands. "Any other cars stolen in Jamestown?"

"Two. 1999 Honda Civic, blue. Nice and anonymous, like Sam likes."

"What was the other one?"

"White '05 Escalade with custom rims. It's a neon sign."

"You're right. He'd never take that. Which is exactly what he did."

"You think?"

"I know that kid. All right, I'll head in that direction. You stay here, ride the police databases. We gotta find him quick."

Dean starts to climb into the driver's seat. "Wait, wait!" He turns to see Addison running towards them, while pulling on her peacoat. "I'm coming with," she says.

"Don't you think you've fucked things up enough," Dean snaps. Addison stares at him for a moment, surprised. She walks around the car and climbs into the passenger seat. Dean slides in behind the wheel and starts the Impala.

* * *

Dean's phone ringing cuts through the silence and he pulls it out of his pocket. "Cops found the Escalade in a ditch outside Elk River," Bobby greets.

"How far away am I," Dean replies, tightly gripping the steering wheel.

"A couple of hours. I pulled up a weather map, made some calls. There's a town not far from there, Cold Spring. Lighting up with demon signs."

"A good place to look."

"Hey, listen."

"What?"

"Us finding Sam? It's gotta be about getting him back, not pushing him away."

"Right."

"I know you're mad, Dean. I understand. You got a right to be, but I'm saying...Be good to him anyway. You gotta get through to him," Bobby tells him. "And you know that it ain't her fault."

Dean snaps his phone shut and shoves it into his jacket pocket. All he wanted to focus on finding Sam. A soft snore comes from his left and he glances at Addison. He knew that it wasn't her fault. Hell, he knew better than anyone that once Sam had an idea in his head, he never let it go. But he was pissed. And that wasn't going to change.

* * *

Addison follows Dean down the motel hallway. When they had arrived in Cold Spring, Addison had been the one that called every motel until they found Sam. She had been surprised that Sam had checked into the honeymoon suite of a much nicer hotel than the ones they usually checked in. She grabs Dean's arm before he enters the suite.

"Dean, look, I know you're mad. At me, at Sam...but please, be careful," Addison softly tells him. She lets go and watches as he enters the room. This was something that they needed to do without her there. And Addison was more than happy to wait outside, which include a trip to the vending machines.

When she returns, Sam is standing in the door way, looking back into the room. Then he walks out of the room. He stops seeing her. "Addison," Sam breathes.

"Sam, please don't this," Addison begs. "Please, you don't have to do this."

Sam shakes his head. "I have to. Dean isn't strong enough."

"You don't have to do this." He walks past her and she grabs his arm. “Sam--" He pulls his arm around grasp and continues down the hallway. Addison enters the room and finds Dean lying on the floor. Pieces of the broken divider scattered around him. She remains silent as she helps him up and they quietly walk out of the motel.

* * *

The gas station bathroom was like all the other ones across the country that he had been in. Dean tosses the paper towel into the overflowing trash can. The door opens and he turns to see Addison. "Hey," she softly says, slipping into the bathroom. She holds up a plastic bag. "I, uh, I got some stuff. In case you need it."

"I'm good," Dean replies.

She nods and starts to the bathroom, but pauses by the door. She turns back to him, meeting his gaze in the dirty mirror. "Dean, I'm sorry. For everything." Addison knows it's nowhere the near enough to fix things between them, but she hopes it's a start. That eventually they'll be back to the way things used to be between them, when it was just them on the road. Dean doesn't say anything. She wasn't expecting him to easily forgive her, not after she kept all of Sam's secrets from him.

Addison sighs and moves to open the door. A hand slams down on the door by her head. She turns around and sees Dean standing behind her. She hadn't heard him move behind her. She stares up at him. Whatever Addison had been expecting Dean to do, him kissing her definitely wasn't it. The bag filled with gauze and peroxide falls to the floor as she slides her arms around his neck. His hands move across her back before falling to her hips.

He lifts her up and she automatically wraps her legs around him. Dean's hands slide under her skirt and she moans when he touches her. Addison reaches between them and quickly undoes his belt and jeans. He shoves her panties to the side, then thrusts into her. Her nails scrape through his hair and she pulls him into a bruising kiss. This was more about finding a desperately needed release than anything else. Dean comes with a grunt and buries his face in her hair, breathing in the apple scented shampoo she always used. He reaches between them and sends Addison over the edge.

After a minute, Addison unwraps her legs from around and leans against the door. Neither of them say anything as they fix their clothing. Addison stands there for a moment, then tightly embraces Dean, knowing that he needed it. She knew that he needed the reassurance that she wasn't going anywhere. And she wasn't.

* * *

"Dean? Dean," Bobby snaps. Dean was staring out of the window, looking out over the dark junkyard. He had heard every word that Bobby had said. But it didn't change a thing. "You listen to a word I said?"

"Yeah, I heard you," Dean replies. "I'm not calling him."

"Don't make me get my gun, boy."

Dean turns to the older hunter, the man who had at times was a better father than his own father had been. "We are damn near kickoff for armageddon, don't you think we got bigger fish at the moment?"

"I know you're pissed. And I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your—"

"Blood? He's my blood, is that what you were gonna say?"

"He's your brother," Bobby continues. "And he's drowning."

"Bobby, I tried to help him, but...look what happened."

"So try again."

"It's too late."

"There's no such thing."

"No, damn it! No. I gotta face the facts. Sam never wanted part of this family. He hated this life. Ran away to Stanford the first chance he got. Now it's like deja vu all over again. Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Fuck him. He can do what he wants."

"Dean, you don't mean that," Addison says, from where she was sitting on the couch.

"Yes, I do, Ads. Sam's gone. He's gone. I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore. If he ever was."

Bobby turns away from him. Addison jumps when he suddenly pushes all of the books and papers sitting on his desk onto the ground. He stalks towards Dean. "You stupid, stupid son of a bitch! Well, boo hoo, I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, princess! Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel good? Make you an apple pie, maybe? They're supposed to make you miserable! That's why they're family!"

"I told him, 'you walk out that door, don't come back' and he walked out," Dean shouts. "That was his choice!"

"You sound like a whiny brat." Bobby shakes his head. "No, you sound like your dad. Well, let me tell you something. Your dad was a coward."

"My dad was a lot of things, Bobby, but a coward?"

"He'd rather push Sam away than reach out to him. That don't strike me as brave. You are a better man than your daddy ever was. So, you do us all a favor. Don't be him."

Dean turns back to the window. Then he disappears. Addison jumps up and looks at Bobby, who seemed just as surprised at Dean's sudden disappearance as she was. "I'm guessing that the angels might have been behind that," she says.

Bobby lets out a deep breath. "That'd be my guess."

Addison sighs. She eyes the books and papers on the floor. "Remind me to never piss you off."

* * *

Addison paces around the junkyard. She had called Dean and Sam multiple times, but neither of them had picked up. Sixteen hours had passed. She and Bobby had spent those hours, trying to find both of the boys, but had turned up empty handed. Taking a deep breath, Addison scrolls through the contact list on her phone. After a few rings, its finally answered. "Chuck, hey, it's Addison Sloan," she greets.

"No, I - I know," Chuck stammers. "I was waiting."

Addison closes her eyes. "I'm guessing that you saw all of this, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Then you know why I'm calling."

"Yeah."

"Okay. So, where's Sam?"

Chuck sighs. "Ilchester, Maryland. St. Mary's Convent. Midnight."

"Thanks, Chuck. I owe you one," Addison says, then hangs up. Bobby looks up when she runs into the study. "I need a ride to the airport."

* * *

Addison shoves a fistful of money to the taxi driver and climbs out of the cab. She looks at her phone and finds it's five after eleven. It had taken her most of the day to get to Baltimore, then it took another half hour drive to the convent. "Thank God there's an app for everything," she mutters, making her iPhone turn to white screen.

She scans the area and doesn't see a car anywhere. Addison looks up at the abandoned convent. She had done research on it during her layover in Detroit and had learned that in 1972, a priest had murdered eight nuns.

Taking a deep breath, Addison walks into the convent. Cobwebs covered the walls and dust covered the floor. There was no noise. And truth be told, it scared the shit out of her. Glass crunches and she spins around. Her heart was racing. Nothing was there. Addison turns back around and freezes. A blonde woman wearing a white dress was standing there. She had seen that blonde once before.

Addison steps back. A pair of hands clamp down on her shoulders and Addison didn't have to look behind her to know that it was a demon. "Oh God," Addison mutters, completely and utterly terrified.

"I'm afraid God can't help you," Lilith brightly says.

* * *

Sam enters the main room of the convent. He had pulled all of the demons in the hallway without a problem. Instead of a blonde woman like he expected, there was a red headed woman standing at the alter. She wore a white dress, through blood covered her left shoulder. Lilith raises a hand and the doors in front of him slam shut.

Sam kicks open the door and enters the room, determination on his face. His heartbeat rings in his ears as he mentally slams Lilith against the granite alter. "I've been waiting for this for a very long time," he coldly says.

"Then give me your best shot," Lilith says, finally looking up at him.

He freezes. "Addison?"

Lilith smirks, eyes flashing white. "Oh, she got here a little early to stop you. So, I killed her. I have to say, this body is a lot more fun."

Anger swells within Sam. First Dean, now Addison. He holds out his hand and concentrates on Lilith. There was no way this demon was gonna get away with killing the two people he cared about most. Then he hears it. It was faint. But it sounded like someone was calling his name. Sam looks over his shoulder, confused. The doors were closed. He could barely hear the yells from the other side. "Dean?"

"What are you waiting for," Ruby screams, through it sounded like she was miles away. "Now! Sam, now!"

A cackle causes Sam to turn back to Lilith. "You turned yourself into a freak. A monster. And now you're not gonna bite," Lilith mocks. "I'm sorry, but that is honestly adorable."

Sam holds up his hand and concentrates. He doesn't notice his eyes turning black in process. An orange light emits from Lilith's chest. Her body shakes. Then the light goes out and she slumps against the alter. Sam lowers his hand and takes a deep breath. His eyes are back to their normal hazel color. Sam stands there for a second, then rushes over to Addison's body.

"You did it," Ruby softly says. "I mean, it was a little touch and go there for a while but...you did it."

Sam searches for a pulse. Fear sets in when he doesn't feel one. Then he notices the blood slowly but steadily coming out of Addison's mouth. His gaze follows it, seeing that the blood was flowing in one direction. "What," he starts. "What - what did I do?"

"You opened the door. And now he's free at last. He's free at last!"

Sam shakes his head. "No, no, no. No, he - Lilith - I stopped her. I killed her!"

"And it is written that the first demon with shall be the last seal. And only His blood will open it," Ruby gleefully states. "And you bust her open. Now guess who's coming to dinner."

"Oh my God."

"Guess again. You don't even know how hard this was! All the demons out for my head. No one knew. I was the best of those sons of bitches! The most loyal! Not even Alastair knew! Only Lilith! Yeah, I'm sure you're a little angry right now, but I mean, come on, Sam! Even you have to admit - I'm - I'm awesome!"

"You bitch," Sam angrily snaps. "You lying bitch!"

He raises a hand and concentrates, but pain slams into his head. "Don't hurt yourself, Sammy," Ruby coldly says. "It's useless. You shot your payload on the boss."

"The blood...you poisoned me."

"No," Ruby softly says, kneeling in front of him. "It wasn't the blood. It was you...and your choices. I just gave you the options and you chose the right path every time. You didn't need the feather to fly, you had it in you the whole time, Dumbo. I know it's hard to see it now...but this is a miracle. Long in the making. Everything Azazel did and Lilith did. Just to get you here. And you were the only one who could do it.

"Why? Why me?"

"Because it had to be you, Sammy. It always had to be you. Just like it always had to be Addison's blood to open the door. You saved us, Sammy. You set him free. And he's gonna be grateful. He's gonna repay you in ways that you can't even imagine." The doors burst open. Ruby stands up and turns to see Dean stalking towards her. "You're too late."

"I don't care," Dean coldly says, pulling out Ruby's knife. Sam stands up and grabs Ruby's arms as Dean slams the knife right under her ribs into her heart. Orange light flashes as Dean pulls the knife out and Sam releases his hold on Ruby, letting her body fall to the ground. Then Dean notices Addison's body lying a couple of feet behind Sam. He pushes past his younger brother to reach her.

"I'm sorry," Sam brokenly says. Dean glances at him. Guilt was the only thing written on Sam's face.

Dean scoops up Addison and cradles her against his chest. A bright light shoots up from the circle of blood on the floor. Dean tightens his grip on Addison. "Sammy, let's go."

Sam grabs his brother's sleeve, not tearing his gaze away from the light. "Dean, he's coming."


End file.
